Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers indicated that he would consider signing Steven Caulker from QPR, but he joined Scottish Premiership rivals Dundee instead.
When Steven Caulker headed to Scotland after leaving QPR in the January transfer window, it was expected that he would link up again with Brendan Rodgers at Celtic.
Rodgers knows the centre-back well from his excellent loan spell at Swansea City in the 2011/12 season, and the manager himself admitted back in the summer that he would be willing to consider a reunion at Parkhead.
Celtic fans were certainly keen on the idea of the 26-year-old kick-starting his once promising career in green and white.
Few expected Caulker to move to Dundee instead, however. Yet, after just two games for his new club, the one-time England defender has already made a positive impression and it is tempting to wonder if Celtic have missed a trick.
“It was another towering performance. He is a class act, isn’t he?” Dundee manager Neil McCann told the Evening Telegraph after the 2-1 win away to Partick Thistle on Saturday.
“Big Steven is not only a good defender and a leader, he’s a menace in the opposition box (he scored on his debut against Kilmarnock).”
And if Celtic’s 3-0 Europa League second leg defeat to Zenit St Petersburg taught us anything, it is that the centre of defence remains a weak link for the Scottish champions.
Jozo Simunovic and Kristoffer Ajer endured a night to forget in Russia, leaving Branislav Ivanovic unmarked to cancel out their 1-0 first-leg advantage in just seven minutes. Meanwhile, the January signings of Marvin Compper and Jack Hendry have been greeted with plenty of scrutiny from supporters.
So the experience and class of Caulker could have come in handy at Parkhead right now.
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