Heading into the winter transfer window, a lot has been made about Celtic’s need for another striker and understandably so. The club did not replace Kyogo when he left last January and allowed Adam Idah to leave in the summer as well. They would go on to sign Kelechi Iheanacho as a free agent but he has spent most of his time out injured and is not someone the Hoops can rely on.
Hopefully, Celtic will add to their options up top. That being said, striker is not the only position in need of immediate reinforcements.
Centre-back is another area where they seem light. Cameron Carter-Vickers has undergone surgery and might end up missing the rest of the season. On the other hand, Liam Scales seems to have lost his place in the starting XI since Wilfried Nancy’s arrival.
So, signing another centre-back might very well be near the top of Celtic’s transfer wishlist. And there are certainly a few intriguing options out there.
Celtic tipped to sign £8 million-rated Portuguese centre-back
67 Hail Hail recently published a listicle of three centre-back signings that could bring Nancy’s 3-4-3 formation to life at Celtic. Tiago Gabriel is on the list.
Gabriel currently plays for Lecce in Serie A, where he has been able to establish himself as a regular fixture. He has also represented Portugal at the U21 level.
Standing at 6’5″, it is safe to say that Gabriel would add a new dimension at the back for Celtic. Size is something that the club have lacked for a long time now, but for one reason or another, it has never been addressed.
It is believed that it could take as much as £8 million to sign Gabriel. Would Celtic be open to making that kind of an investment in the middle of the season on a 20-year-old centre-back?