Scotland assistant Mark McGhee says Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths could play in the Premier League so here are four clubs that could need him.
Mark McGhee, the assistant manager of Scotland, looks on during a training session at Hampden Park.
Scotland assistant manager Mark McGhee says Leigh Griffiths has improved so much over the past 18 months the Celtic striker could now play in the Premier League.
Since the beginning of the 2016/17 season Griffiths has scored 25 goals and provided 25 assists in 53 appearances for the Bhoys in all competitions.
Leigh Griffiths of Celtic scores his side’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League group B match against RSC Anderlecht.
“If someone asked if he could do well in the Premier League I’d not hesitate, his all-round game has improved so much,” McGhee told the Edinburgh News.
“Remember I watch these games all the time. Last week I was at Brighton against Newcastle and Leigh could have played in either of those teams, absolutely no danger. That’s how much he has come on as far as I am concerned.”
Here are four teams from the English top flight Griffiths could walk straight into in January.
Leigh Griffiths of Celtic celebrates scoring his side’s second goal during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match against Rangers.
Brighton and Hove Albion
As McGhee says the newly promoted club could do with a new forward having failed to sign one over the summer and the Scotland international would be an improvement on current options Sam Baldock, Tomer Hemed and Glenn Murray.
Crystal Palace
It would be difficult to argue Griffiths is an upgrade on Christian Benteke, but with the Belgian injured for six weeks and no adequate backup the Eagles could do with an attacker of the 27-year-old’s quality.
Everton
The Toffees have failed to replace the loss of topscorer Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United and have scored just four league goals in seven outings as they have struggled in attack so far this term.
Newcastle United
The other side mentioned by McGhee and once again he is not wrong, as although Joselu has scored twice since a switch from Stoke City, Griffiths is arguably a more natural goalscorer and would almost certainly be ahead of Dwight Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic in the pecking order as well.
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