Celtic thought they’d found a way to stop the ceaseless string of defensive disasters when Ben Davies appeared to be packing his bags and heading for Glasgow in the January transfer window.
But after being blind-sided by Liverpool on deadline day, with the Premier League champions snapping up the Preston centre-back from beneath Neil Lennon’s nose, Hoops fans will have to suffer those Shane Duffy blunders and set-piece abominations (Mirror).
However, Davies wasn’t the only former Deepdale hero who could have ended up north of the border.
Understandably, the Barrow-born 26-year-old has hogged the headlines after finding himself at the heart of one of January’s most unexpected sagas, meaning his former Preston teammate slipped under the radar.
According to the Daily Mail, Celtic wanted Ben Pearson too.
And, like Davies, Pearson departed Deepdale before the 1 February deadline. But it was Bournemouth, rather than the Glasgow giants, who completed a bargain deal for the one-time Manchester United youngster.
26-year-old Pearson has only played 90 minutes of football for the South Coast club but to suggest he’s made a decent first impression would be an understatement.
Tenacious, technically gifted, supremely competitive and quality in possession, Pearson was the driving force behind Bournemouth’s 2-0 FA Cup fifth round victory at Burnley last night.
In short, it was the sort of prowling, growling midfield performance Bournemouth fans have been missing since Harry Arter’s heyday.
Celtic, meanwhile, are crying out for an all-action, box-to-box enforcer – a lack of central thrust exacerbated by Olivier Ntcham’s departure.
And, on the evidence on display at Turf Moor, Celtic’s loss will be Bournemouth’s gain.
Here’s what some Bournemouth fans had to say about Pearson’s performance on Twitter:
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