Scottish Premiership champions Celtic wanted to sign Lewis Baker on loan from Chelsea but he has stuck at Championship side Middlesbrough instead.
Celtic could do with a player like Lewis Baker.
Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops may be heading for a seventh straight Scottish Premiership title but their form has been far from vintage of late. A gritty goalless draw away at Motherwell at the weekend was the latest in a series of oddly toothless performances from Celtic – and their central midfield options in particular have come in for criticism due to a perceived lack of cutting edge.
So it makes sense now why Rodgers was keen to bring in Baker alongside fellow Chelsea youngster Charly Musonda in the January transfer window, as reported by The Mail.
The Luton-born 22-year-old is a naturally creative talent with the ability to turn a game on its head with a moment of magic. Blessed with an excellent long-range shot, Baker netted 15 times on loan at Vitesse Arnhem last season and also boasts eight in 17 games for the England U21s.
So it is not hard to imagine Baker playing a central role, perhaps in a number ten position, in a Celtic side who could do with some more goals from midfield at the moment with Stuart Armstrong and Olivier Ntcham not contributing nearly enough.
Instead, Baker is stuck on the Middlesbrough bench – and he is certainly more a Brendan Rodgers player than a Tony Pulis one.
He has struggled at Boro all season and was even left out of the squad for 11 consecutive games after the draw with Barnsley in October. Since the January window shut, he has played just half an hour of football under Pulis.
Baker’s loan spell at the Riverside looks a bit of a wasted opportunity. It is difficult not to think things would be different at Celtic.
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