Alan Stubbs urges Celtic to target experienced Premier League defenders following Patrick Roberts deal

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Alan Stubbs has urged Celtic to sign a new defender after attempts to sign Rivaldo Coetzee fell through.

Alan Stubbs has suggested that Celtic should follow up the deal that saw Patrick Roberts return on loan by going all out to sign an experienced Premier League defender before the transfer window shuts, the Daily Record reports.

The Hoops have enjoyed a fairly quiet summer in the market, with only a handful of players coming in so far, with Roberts proving to be the latest as he returned from Manchester City for a season-long loan spell.

It had appeared for a while that Rivaldo Coetzee would be another name to arrive this summer, but the defender’s switch to the Scottish Premiership fell through when he failed a medical, the Daily Record reports.

And Stubbs has insisted that while the interest in the 20-year-old suggested that Brendan Rodgers was looking for another young player who could develop with the Bhoys, it is now time for Rodgers to change the parameters and go after a more experienced player with a Champions League group-stage campaign on the horizon.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if Celtic signed a defender who is not currently getting a game in the English Premier League,” he said, as reported by the Daily Record.

“That player may even be 32 or 33 years of age and someone in the Kolo Toure mould who is very experienced would fit the bill.

“I’m sure the club were looking at a young defender like Coetzee to come in so they could develop him.

“Celtic now have to go down the line of getting somebody in as a short-term fix in order to cope with the Champions League matches. That would be the best and most sensible option for the club.”

With yet another extremely tough group to contend with in the Champions League this term, it would certainly appear to be a major gamble to not bolster the defensive ranks before the deadline.

Astana put four past the Hoops in the second-leg of the play-off round, and now they are set to come against teams that boast the likes of Neymar and Robert Lewandowski in attack.