“He will make a difference”:Tom McManus really wants Celtic to sign the £16m player this summer
With the Champions League campaign ahead and a packed domestic schedule ahead, the prospect of starting the new season with Hyeongyu Oh replacing Kyogo has not filled Celtic fans with confidence.
And this is not an insult to the Korean striker.
He simply hasn’t had enough playing time to improve his sharpness.
However, failure to add a quality striker could cost Celtic dearly in the Champions League and expert Tam McManus believes Celtic should have signed £16m player Daniel Podence to improve improve their chances in this tournament.
“They need a striker,” McManus told [PLZ Soccer].
They are closely linked with Podence at Wolves, the winger.
I think it will make a difference.
“I think he is a quality player.
He’s out of Celtic’s price range, but Celtic won’t pay him.
Celtic won’t pay wages, but people like that could help them win and could take them to the Europa League or second place.
“But Celtic aren’t ready to do that and that’s okay.
That’s club policy but I just think Celtic in the final third aren’t good enough at that level.
Celtic were heavily linked with the Portuguese winger in the summer, but he ended up signing for Greek side Olympiac
Whether Podence made a difference to Celtic’s hopes of qualifying remains debatable.
In 105 appearances for Wolves, Podence only scored 16 goals and created 9 assists.
However, he appears to be in rich form at his new club with four goals and three assists in his first six games.
[Transfer market]
Primarily used on the left wing, Podence will compete with Daizen Maeda for that position unless Rodgers puts them both in the starting lineup
And if Celtic bring in Podence, the likelihood that fans will like Luis Palma at that time is very high.
As always in football, it all comes down to opinion.
However, do Celtic really have a better chance in the Champions League with Podence in their team?
Unfortunately, we will never know.