Do Celtic really stand chance of signing Southampton’s Shane Long?

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Celtic are reportedly interested in signing Shane Long on loan this summer, but would Southampton really want to let the forward go?

It was reported by The Sun on Sunday (26/08; page 61) that Celtic were one of the teams interested in signing Southampton star Shane Long on loan during the final days of the transfer window.

On social media, the news was largely met with a negative reaction. The 31-year-old has been a regular fixture in the Premier League over the last seven seasons, but his record hardly captures the imagination, and it appears that several of the Hoops supporters are not excited by the links.

But, luckily for those who have little interest in seeing Long arrive at Parkhead this summer, perhaps it would be fair to suggest that Mark Hughes’ team selections this term suggest that the Saints will be just as much against the idea of letting the Republic of Ireland international leave on loan.

Long – who cost Saints £12 million, according to BBC Sport – did not feature on the opening day of the season, but was introduced as Southampton’s first substitute in the defeat to Everton earlier this month.

And he followed that up by starting the defeat to Leicester City at the weekend. He stayed on the pitch for 86 minutes, with strike partner Danny Ings coming off nearly 20 minutes earlier.

Obviously, Ings is still proving his fitness – more specifically, his match sharpness – and Charlie Austin has struggled to enjoy a really prolonged run of games in the side since his arrival at St Mary’s. With that in mind, it would be a major shock if Hughes had any interest in letting Long leave this week, especially on loan.

Southampton would only be able to use the free agent market to replace Long if they let him go. So while he may not be a particularly prolific weapon for Hughes, you would imagine that the Saints would only have interest in letting him leave if they were offered a fee up front that suggested that the buyers were paying well over the odds – and Celtic should undoubtedly be reluctant to offer that given how strong they already are up front.

It would be foolish to write off the idea of Long leaving altogether, but with the forward starting the club’s most recent game and Celtic hardly in a desperate situation when it comes to strikers, it would arguably be a huge surprise if Long ended the window as a Hoops loanee.