Highlights
- Luis Palma is set to join Celtic this week and will be officially unveiled before the Glasgow Derby against Rangers.
- Celtic will pay a fee of £3.5 million for Palma, who has been a standout player for Aris Thessaloniki in Greece.
- Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has urged the club to make further signings to improve the squad and their style of play.
Celtic are closing in on their seventh summer signing and he will arrive this week to finalise his move to the Scottish giants before their crucial Glasgow Derby match against Rangers this weekend.
What’s the latest transfer news involving Celtic?
According to Honduran outlet Diario Diez, Aris Thessaloniki winger Luis Palma has already said goodbye to his teammates and is in London to put the finishing touches to his impending move to Celtic.
He will then travel to Glasgow to be officially unveiled by the Scottish champions and will don the iconic number seven jersey at Parkhead, which has been worn by club legends such as Jimmy Johnstone and Henrik Larsson in the past.
The Scottish Sun detail that Celtic will pay a fee in the region of £3.5 million for the Honduras international and he could be the first of five late-window incomings to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ underperforming side. Manchester City youngster Tommy Doyle has been mentioned as a potential arrival to bolster the Irishman’s engine room before the deadline.
Several outgoings are also expected and it is believed that Benjamin Siegrist, James McCarthy, Albian Ajeti and Ismaila Soro could all be on their way out of the club.
Celtic have failed to score in over 180 minutes of football and were knocked out of the Viaplay Cup against Kilmarnock, followed by putting in a disappointing display in a 0-0 draw against St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership last weekend, as per Sky Sports.
Cited by The Sunday Mail (27/08 print edition, page 59), Celtic boss Rodgers has laid down the gauntlet to the Hoops’ hierarchy to fulfill his wish for further recruitment in the market before the close of play, stating:
“We need to improve for sure. I spoke to the club when I came in and, assessing the squad, we need to improve the quality. It’s clear if you see the team, if you go back to my first time here the team was fast and dynamic, got through the lines quickly, created and scored goals.
“So this is what we’ll eventually get to. But we’re missing those certain profiles so hopefully we can bring that into the squad and be a lot cleaner and a lot quicker in our play.”
What could Luis Palma bring to Celtic?
Since Portuguese winger Jota left Celtic to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad earlier in the summer for a fee in the region of £25 million, the Hoops have lost a valuable creative outlet, which is something Palma could help to remedy due to his direct style of play.
During his time in Greece, Palma has been a live wire and regularly troubled opposition backlines, registering 17 goals and 11 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Dubbed a “huge player” by Aris manager Apostolos Terzis, Palma will be desperate to hit the ground running at Celtic and show that he can live up to the hype of his iconic shirt number.
Cited by Football Scotland, Terzis has confirmed that Palma is leaving Aris and stated in an interview: “I want to wish him the best of luck with his new club, Celtic. He worked so hard for our team and Aris also helped him a lot to develop.”