If Celtic make £5m move for Nick Powell, Rodgers could work wonders

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Scottish Premiership champions Celtic are reportedly keen on Wigan Athletic’s Nick Powell.

If Celtic were to sign a dynamic attacking midfielder for £5 million this summer, you would get short odds on it being the Hibernian starlet, and rumoured long-term Scott Brown replacement, John McGinn.

But according to the Sun (4 March, page 63), Celtic could perhaps move instead for Wigan Athletic’s reborn one-time wonder-kid Nick Powell with the summer not too far away.

Powell has been superb in Wigan’s attempted promotion push from League One and their run to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, scoring 12 goals and setting up another four in all competitions. As a result, it appears unlikely that he will be with the Latics for too much longer.

Because the Sun claims that Brighton are preparing a £5 million bid for a 23-year-old, who is also on the radar of both Aston Villa and Scottish champions Celtic.

Powell did not make the grade after his high-profile move to Manchester United as a teenager. And Celtic would be taking a big risk equalling Brighton’s offer and making him the fifth most expensive player in the club’s history; just £1 million behind their record signing.

Yet if there is any manager that could unleash the potential that had his former Crewe manager Dario Gradi referring to Powell as the new Eric Cantona or Wayne Rooney, as reported by Talksport, it is Brendan Rodgers.

Since moving to Celtic in 2016, the Northern Irishman has turned seemingly lost causes like Scott Sinclair into consistent match-winners, while also bringing about huge improvements in Scott Brown, Stuart Armstrong, Dedryck Boyata and co.

So imagine how good the gifted Powell could be under Rodgers. A £5 million fee looks like a lot but, at 23, he could be worth far more after a couple of years in Glasgow.