When it comes to English football’s free agent market, Celtic don’t tend to pluck out many signings.
Indeed, any signing we’ve made from the Premier League in particular, in recent years anyway, have been loan deals. The likes of Shane Duffy, Jonjoe Kenny, and Mohamed Elyounoussi all arrived on temporary agreements last season.
The main issue here is affordability. Celtic may very well have bought Duffy and Elyounoussi permanently last summer if their valuations weren’t so high. Granted, when it comes to the former, we can thank our lucky stars.
This season, however, there are a host of attractive names that appear to be entering the free agent market down south [Yorkshire Live]. Some may be looking to stay in the big-money bubble of the EPL, but others will have to face reality and look for opportunities elsewhere.
One of the most attractive ones being Mohamed Besic, who has officially left Everton this summer. Besic is a 45-time Bosnian capped international, and has been out of the picture at Merseyside this season. In the previous two campaigns he was farmed out to Middlesbrough and Sheffield United, but can now be picked up for nothing.
A defensive-midfielder, Celtic may feel that they need to replace Brown with someone who contains the proper pedigree. Besic would fit the bill, and would surely fancy something different to the EPL or Championship competition.
Celtic could seriously strengthen with several free agent signings
There are also a host of interesting talents that have been released at Crystal Palace in particular. France international Mamadou Sakho joins Gary Cahill, Andros Townsend, James McCarthy, and Nathanial Clyne in being let go. Celtic could use signings in all of these positions, especially at centre-back and right-back.
Speaking of right-backs, Ahmed Elmohamady is also on the free-agent list after leaving Aston Villa. Elmohamady has been involved in two promotion successes and has over 350 Premier League and Championship appearances combined.
As for the left-back position, the attack-minded Ryan Bertrand has been let go by Southampton whilst Patrick Van Aanholt has left Crystal Palace. Granted, both men will likely be wanted by bigger Premier League clubs. More reasonable left-back alternatives include
A host of potentially useful youngsters have been released by Manchester City and Man Utd too. Goalkeeping options such as John Ruddy, Paulo Gazzaniga, and Wales regular Wayne Hennessey are also all up for grabs. Not to mention Poland international Kamil Grosicki is on the market after leaving West Brom.
If Celtic are looking for some experienced freebies who want a new challenge this summer, there are plenty available to get in touch with. So many of these players could be success stories at Parkhead, and it’s vital we add some more maturity to a youthful squad.
Hopefully, Celtic make more of a splash in the English free-agent market this summer. There appear to be some genuinely exciting opportunities on the table.
In other news, Celtic can’t be blamed for Jack Hendry’s reported departure.
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