Former Celtic recruitment chief David Moss wanted to bring Laurent Depoitre to the Scottish Premiership but he left for Huddersfield Town.
If David Moss had gotten his way, Laurent Depoitre might be playing for Celtic right now rather than Huddersfield Town.
The Belgian striker joined the Terriers from FC Porto last summer for £3.5 million according to the BBC, but not before Celtic’s former chief talent scout Moss had recommended him to the Scottish Premiership champions.
“Laurent Depoitre was another we’d tried for at Celtic. He’d made the wrong move by leaving Gent for Porto for £6m. He’s made for English or German football, so his value had gone down since to a bargain (fee),” Moss, who swapped Celtic for Huddersfield at the start of last year’s transfer window, told the Guardian.
But, in truth, Depoitre has done little at the John Smith’s Stadium to suggest he would have been worth the £3.5 million, that would have put him in the top ten most expensive Celtic signings of all time.
The 29-year-old offers strength and an outlet in attack but hardly prolific goal-scoring. Depoitre, formerly a Belgian international, has scored just five times in 29 Premier League games for a Huddersfield side that has struggled for productivity in the final third all season.
Celtic, then, are probably better off with the lethal Moussa Dembele and the far more technical and all-round Leigh Griffiths.
Even Odsonne Edouard, the youngster signed on loan from PSG last summer, looks a better option at almost a decade younger. Although if Celtic want to keep him on a permanent basis, they will have to pay double Depoitre’s £3.5 million fee.
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