Celtic have endured a mixed start to their season, having got off to the perfect start by defeating Ross County and Aberdeen, before suffering a shock exit in the Scottish League Cup, losing to Kilmarnock.
The Scottish Premiership champions then most recently drew 0-0 against St Johnstone in another frustrating outing for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
With the first Glasgow derby of the season coming up against Rangers next, too, Celtic will hope to use the remaining days of the summer transfer window to fix any glaring issues. And that could lead them to targets in the Premier League. The Hoops have reportedly continued their interest in a winger in England’s top flight.
What’s the latest Celtic transfer news?
So far this summer, Rodgers has welcomed a total of seven reinforcements, with the likes of Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke coming in to bolster Celtic’s defensive options.
As highlighted in their recent 0-0 draw against St Johnstone, however, it is in attack that Celtic could do with reinforcements as we approach the end of the window.
It is easy to forget that the Scottish side entered this season significantly weaker going forward due to the summer exit of Jota to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad. The winger scored 15 goals, and assisted a further 12 for Celtic in all competitions last season.
It is an output that the Hoops must replace, with a move for Luis Palma reportedly agreed, and it looks as if a Premier League attacker could also join.
According to Rudy Galetti, via GiveMeSport, Celtic have continued talks with Wolverhampton Wanderers over a potential deal for Daniel Podence before the window comes to a close. And, although there is a distance between prices, with Wolves placing a £12m asking price on the winger, the Scottish champions could use the fact that his contract comes to an end in a year’s time to get themselves a cut-price deal. Galetti said:
“Talks between Celtic and Wolves over Daniel Podence are still ongoing. There is distance on the price tag set at around £12m, but the Scottish club will continue to work to lower the cost, while also leveraging on the last year of his contract.”
Who is Daniel Podence?
Failing to replace Jota could result in dire consequences for Celtic this season, making the arrival of Podence potentially imperative, particularly when it comes to defending their crown in Scotland.
As per FBref, the Portugal winger, on £52,000-a-week, is in the top 77 percentile for progressive passes, making 4.87 per game and, therefore, possessing a trait that should help unlock defences such as the St Johnstone and Kilmarnock ones that Celtic failed to score past last time out.
Podence has earned plenty of previous praise during his time at Wolves, too, including from Alan Shearer, who said, via Molinuex News:
“He was a real bright spark. He had a really good understanding with Jimenez.
“(On the goal) This summed it up perfectly. Give, go. It’s clever from Podence. He has a little look where he is, and that is just such a clever finish and that’s what won them the game.”