Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers looks to be drawing up his plans for the January window and now it has emerged that the Scottish Premiership champions are embroiled in a race to sign a highly-rated midfielder.
Celtic gear up for Scottish Premiership return…
At present, Celtic players are either on international duty or reporting to Lennoxtown for mid-break training as they await the return of Scottish Premiership action on November 25th, where the Hoops will take on Motherwell at Parkhead. In some positive news involving one Hoops player who is away with his native national side, Marco Tilio made his long-awaited return from injury to feature for Australia Under-23’s in a 2-1 friendly victory over Qatar.
Republic of Ireland international Liam Scales, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise at Celtic this campaign after previously looking set to depart for Aberdeen in the summer, has also enjoyed a commendable time of things on international duty from a personal perspective, recording an impressive Fotmob rating of 7.1/10 for his exploits in a 1-0 defeat to the Netherlands in EURO 2024 qualifying over in Amsterdam.
Nevertheless, Rodgers will undoubtedly be keen for club action to return and will also be casting an eye towards the January transfer window as he looks to add extra squad depth.Recent reports from Germany have intimated that versatile Nurnberg attacker Kanji Okunuki is on the radar at Parkhead after being scouted by Celtic on several occasions.
Bologna striker Sydney van Hooijdonk, who is the son of former Celtic icon Pierre van Hooijdonk, was linked with a move to the Hoops in the summer and has spoken about potentially departing the Serie A outfit in January:
“I’m fine. I’m at a good team and I like life a lot. But I have to do what’s best for my growth. For my career. I also have to play. In football, things can change quickly. There are two months left until January and who knows what will happen? Now, there is Joshua (Zirkzee), who is playing a great season. Do the rumours about my possible transfer bother me? It’s normal when you don’t play.”
Now, it has emerged that Hoops manager Rodgers could have a highly-rated young midfielder in his sights this January, according to a fresh report.
Celtic keeping tabs on Lennon Miller
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Celtic are keeping tabs on Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller, despite the fact the 17-year-old recently signed a new three-and-a-half-year deal at Fir Park.
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Lennon Miller in 2023/24 – all competitions (Transfermarkt) |
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Appearances |
14 |
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Goals |
1 |
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Assists |
1 |
Nevertheless, they will face stiff competition to land the Scotland Under-19 international. Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford and West Ham United are also watching his progress at close quarters.
Miller, who has been labelled “super talented” by Celtic head of academy coaching Steven Hammell, has shown tenacious qualities in the Scottish Premiership this term, completing around 2.6 tackles and one interception on average per league fixture. (Miller statistics – WhoScored)
Catching the eye with his performances, Miller appears to be an exciting prospect that could go on to be a future star for the Scotland national team, making it no surprise that Celtic are taking notice of his development.