Would Joe Allen or John McGinn be a better buy for Brendan Rodgers at Celtic?

Follow us on Google Discover

With Joe Allen’s Stoke City looking likely to go down and John McGinn seemingly outgrowing Hibs, could Brendan Rodgers look to bring in either midfielder to Celtic ?

With Scott Brown near retirement age, Celtic’s recruitment team will be working tirelessly behind the scenes to select the ideal candidates to bring in to the club with the idea of replacing the veteran skipper once he finally decides to hang his boots up.

Brown has experienced consistent injury problems, especially in the earlier part of his career. Nonetheless, worries over his knees and back only increase, and an addition to Celtic’s midfield options appears more and more necessary.

Two outstanding candidates that Celtic will likely be considering are John McGinn of Hibernian and Joe Allen of Stoke City.

McGinn has enjoyed some stunning form for the Edinburgh club, and has grown to become one of the most feared midfielders in the league. He has been linked with a move to both sides of the Old Firm.

Allen, who may experience relegation with Stoke at the end of the season, has worked alongside Rodgers before, and could be interested in a reunion with his former Liverpool boss.

With McGinn five years younger than Allen at 23, the Scotsman would provide a midfield option for Celtic for the next decade or so, but in terms of selecting a direct replacement for Brown, Wales international Allen would probably serve as the better option.

With nearly a decade of experience in the Premier League, Euro 2017 semi-finalist Allen is about as experienced as they come. It is not everyday that a Scottish club is presented with the potential opportunity to sign a genuine Premier League quality midfielder, and Celtic should be jumping at the opportunity to bring in Allen, making full use of his Rodgers connection.

The Welshman has a similar tenacious attitude to Brown, and is built in a similar mould to the Celtic captain, with his ability to contribute to both the defensive and attacking aspects of being a midfielder.

Nevertheless, both players would obviously be a huge boost for Celtic, as they look to strengthen and go again in Europe next season to try and build on their Europa League round of 32 efforts from this term.

A midfield of Olivier Nctham, Scott Brown and Allen or McGinn would be as fine a midfield as the Hoops have had in recent years, and would surely guarantee a good chance of securing 10 league titles in a row.