Celtic have brought in Patryk Klimala to bolster their strikeforce.
Pundit Davie Provan has told The Scottish Sun that Celtic should have been looking to bring in an experienced striker during this month’s transfer window.
The Bhoys had to sign another striker this month, and whilst they have been linked with a host of options, they took something of a left-field approach.
Celtic snapped up Patryk Klimala from Jagiellonia Bialystok just days ago, bringing in the young attacker to bolster Neil Lennon’s options for the second half of the season and beyond.
Klimala is a relative unknown, but has at least impressed this season with seven goals in 17 appearances, and he’ll be hoping to make an instant impact.
Still, pundit and former Celtic winger Provan thinks the Bhoys needed to bring in experience this month, pointing to Rangers signing Jermain Defoe last January.
Provan believes that Newcastle’s Dwight Gayle would have been ideal for Celtic this month, believing he would surely love a move to Glasgow in order to play first-team football.
Gayle earns £40,000-a-week at Newcastle according to Spotrac, meaning Celtic would have to stump up decent cash to land him, and Provan offered a couple of alternatives too.
Provan feels West Brom’s Charlie Austin or Brighton’s Glenn Murray could have been ideal too, giving Celtic vital experience for the title race – but instead feels Celtic have ‘gambled’ with Klimala.
“In the same way Jermain Defoe has done the business for Rangers, there are strikers in England who would do Celts a turn in the short term,” said Provan. “Newcastle’s Dwight Gayle is one of them. Recently linked with a move to Ibrox, Gayle scored 23 goals on loan at West Brom last season. Now bombed out by Toon boss Steve Bruce, he’d surely fancy a shift in Glasgow.”
“Charlie Austin is another I’d fancy to do well in our Premiership. Currently warming the bench at West Brom, the 30-year-old has scored regularly at every level. Another old head surplus to requirements is Brighton’s Glenn Murray. Yeah, Murray’s no spring chicken but he’d be a good insurance policy for Celtic if anything happened to Odsonne Edouard. I’m not saying Lennon would fancy any of that trio but they are of the type Celtic need at the moment. With nine-in-a-row fever rising, this isn’t the time to be gambling on youngsters,” he added.
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