Celtic managed to cling on to go five points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership after edging out Ross County 1-0 at Parkhead yesterday.
Alistair Johnston opened the scoring with a deflected strike in the first minute to set the wheels in motion for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Nevertheless, the Hoops looked lacklustre at times against the Staggies, who will count themselves unlucky not to have claimed a point at the end via either Jordan White or Josh Sims.
Truthfully, Celtic will play a lot better this season, though three points will be the defining conclusion from proceedings despite the home side enduring a difficult afternoon on a noticeably tricky surface.
Kyogo Furuhashi cut a forlorn figure against Ross County, taking just 16 touches on the day after being starved of service [Fotmob].
The Bhoys lacked a cutting edge in the final third, further emphasising the need for incomings across the last few days of the window at Parkhead.
Celtic transfer latest on Sydney van Hooijdonk
Bologna striker Sydney van Hooijdonk has been continuously linked with a move to Celtic this month as the Hoops look to bolster their frontline options.
The Serie A outfit could now send him out on loan in the final days of the mid-season market after bringing in Santiago Castro from Velez Sarsfield [Fabrizio Romano].
Last night, reports did give the impression that the 23-year-old may have taken a step closer to a dramatic move to Parkhead to follow in the footsteps of his father Pierre.
In TNT Sports’ coverage of Bologna’s trip to face AC Milan at San Siro, one of the commentary team claimed that the Bhoys could be closing in on a swoop for the Netherlands Under-21 cap.
Cited via The Daily Record, the commentator said: “Sydney van Hooijdonk is the absent man upfront, not even in the squad, with an apparent move to Celtic on the cards.”
Since then, Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph has delivered a fresh update on the latest state of play involving both parties, indicating that Celtic have been ‘monitoring’ his situation for ‘some time’.
Conversely, they haven’t made any contact over his availability despite being keen to add another striking option.
Celtic should look to bring in another striker this month
In this campaign, Celtic fan favourite Furuhashi has registered 11 goals and three assists in 31 appearances across all competitions [Transfermarkt].
Despite this, the Hoops haven’t always played to his strengths since Rodgers’ arrival and he has been utilised in a slightly different capacity compared to his involvement under Ange Postecoglou.
Daizen Maeda and Hyeongyu Oh remain on international duty at the AFC Asian Cup with Japan and South Korea, leaving Rocco Vata as second in command despite his evident lack of first-team experience.
Celtic need more depth at centre-forward and bringing one in before the end of the window should rank high among their transfer priorities.
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