The transfer deadline may have come and gone, but the Celtic striker hunt goes on.
Brendan Rodgers has been reunited with Kelechi Iheanacho after the striker put pen to paper on a year-long contract with an option of a second, following his release from Sevilla.
The signing represented the end of a long wait for a reinforcement in that position, which has been light since the departure of Kyogo Furuhashi in January.
However, since the surprise sale of Adam Idah to Swansea, one has not been enough. The mere fact that Celtic saw the deadline pass by without having added a replacement for either was understandably baffling for supporters.
However, with Iheanacho now through the door, the Hoops are reportedly in the market again, for another Nigerian striker. Emmanuel Dennis is on the club’s radar, as the striker hunt goes on.
So who is the newest Celtic target, and what’s his background?
Who is Emmanuel Dennis?
Emmanuel Dennis was playing in Nigeria until the age of 19, when the opportunity arose to move to Ukraine with Zorya Luhansk.
This was where he began to make a name for himself, impressing in Europa League ties against Manchester United and Feyenoord. He eventually moved to Club Brugge for around £1 million in 2017.
Despite making a positive start in Belgium, it would not be until two years later that his career hit the next level. In the Champions League group stages, Dennis stunned Real Madrid with a brace in a 2-2 draw in Spain.
This earned him his first Nigeria call-up and eventually a move to the Bundesliga with FC Koln. In 2021, he signed for Premier League side Watford, where he scored ten top-flight goals in his debut campaign.
His life has been less successful since moving to Nottingham Forest, so as a 27-year-old free agent, he would be joining Celtic to get things back on track.
How old is Emmanuel Dennis?
Dennis was born on November 15th 1997, in Nola, Nigeria, making him 27 years old at the time of writing.
How tall is Emmanuel Dennis?
Dennis is 175cm tall, or five-foot-nine.
What kind of player is Emmanuel Dennis?
Dennis has played in every forward position during his career – on both wings, as a number ten, in a striker pairing and as a lone number nine. In perhaps his strongest season, 2021-22 at Watford, he played on the left wing.
A fast player who dribbles and works hard, Dennis’ career has been inconsistent. In his final season at Club Brugge, he did not manage a single goal before moving to Germany.
His recent loan move to Blackburn was not successful, also not helped by the fact that the club changed manager just weeks after he made the transfer.
Will Emmanuel Dennis play at the Africa Cup of Nations?
Given the possibility of recent signings Iheanacho, Balikwisha and Tounekti going away to AFCON this winter, this could be a worry for Dennis as well, given his history as a Nigeria international.
Dennis was involved in an infamous dispute between Watford and the Nigerian FA in 2021, when the latter accused the former of not allowing him to travel to the tournament. The issue was not resolved and he did not take part in the competition.
Now more than ever, Dennis faces serious competition in the squad from the likes of Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Victor Boniface. But given the added motivation of missing out last time, anything is possible this time around.
A move to Celtic could be the perfect springboard, as Rodgers desperately looks for more depth in his Celtic squad.
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