There is one word on the lips of each and every Celtic supporter as the transfer window enters a decisive final three weeks.
And that word is ‘striker’.
Despite a treasure trove of wide forwards – Brendan Rodgers doing like he did in his triumphant first spell and making Parkhead home to countless talented wingers – the shelves look a little bare as far as the number nine spot is concerned.
“My ideal scenario would be to have three strikers,” Rodgers told the Scottish Sun in late-July, the departures of Oh Hyeon-Gyu to Genk and Rocco Vata to Watford leaving Kyogo Furuhashi as Celtic’s only first-team centre-forward.
“The plan was for us to have Kyogo, one other and bring through a youngster. That was the role we came up with for Rocco.”
Those plans went up in smoke, however, when Vata opted to take his precocious talents south of the border.
But while signing a striker is obviously priority number one – HITC understands that Celtic have not given up on the £8 million-rated Adam Idah and also like Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland – it appears that there are a few other areas of Rodgers’ squad where additions could be targeted too.
A busy end to the transfer window for Celtic
Former Hoops hitman Chris Sutton feels that a left-back to support Greg Taylor is a must.
And Gianluca di Marzio, one of the most reliable reporters in Italian football, has thrown Celtic into the mix for Tanner Tessmann too.
On the face of it, the centre of midfield feels like one of the strongest areas of Rodgers’ roster. Especially after Paulo Bernardo re-joined from Benfica on a permanent basis.
Then again, Celtic’s overreliance on captain Callum McGregor has been a problem in the past when the skipper is unavailable. And this is where Tessmann could come in useful.
A deep-lying playmaker who likes to get on the ball and dictate play from the centre of the park, the two-time USA international was a stand out performer as Venezia were promoted from Serie B last term.
Di Marzio reports that none other than Italian champions Inter Milan held talks but failed to reach an agreement.
There is a chance, meanwhile, that lightning could now strike twice.
Fiorentina deal hangs in the balance for USA ace
Fiorentina have since emerged in pole position. But, according to Tuttomercatoweb, an agreement with Tessmann’s camp has proven elusive despite La Viola having an offer of £4.7 million accepted by Venezia.
His demands are viewed as excessive as things stand, per TMW.
Fiorentina reportedly scheduled a meeting with Tessmann’s representatives on Wednesday as they look to finally thrash out a deal. Tuttomercatoweb describe these talks as ‘do or die’.
If it ends with the former, then the former FC Dallas ace will become a Fiorentina player. If those talks ‘die’, however, then the ball will come bouncing back into Celtic’s court.
“Tessmann is still young. He can still improve,” his agent, Andrea D’Amico, told Radio Bruno in late-July.
“Every player has a price. I don’t think Venezia would want to get rid of such an important player as Tessmann lightheartedly. Making the leap from (Serie) B to A without a pillar like him, for Venezia, would not be trivial.
“Tessmann played (good) football. He has a great physique. As often happens with Americans, athletes are complete.”
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