Zach Clough has barely featured for Nottingham Forest this season but could Celtic offer an escape route?
Four-time league title winner Davie Provan made a good point when he told the Scottish Sun that Celtic are lacking a natural number ten.
For all of Celtic’s talented wingers and their dynamic midfielders, the champions don’t really have a typical playmaker who can create chances and score goals from a central position.
So while a new centre-half appears to be Brendan Rodgers’ priority during the January transfer window, it will be interesting to see whether Provan’s comments give the Celtic boss food for thought – particularly as speculation is intensifying that Zach Clough could be on his way out of Nottingham Forest in January.
Forest paid £3 million to sign the pint-sized playmaker at the start of the year from Bolton Wanderers but he has struggled for opportunities this season, starting barely any Championship games under Mark Warburton.
And the Nottingham Post claims that Bolton want to re-sign Clough on loan in January – and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Forest could let the 22-year-old go with Everton loanee Kieran Dowell preferred in the number ten role.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers knows how good the diminutive Clough can be, the then-teenager starring in a 2015 FA Cup tie against his Liverpool side. Bet Victor even had Celtic as second favourites to sign him in the summer of 2016.
And Clough would certainly fill a gap in Celtic’s squad, a clever and creative number ten blessed with dextrous dribbling skills and instinctive vision.
So if Forest make him available in January, Celtic must at least consider bringing a player with huge potential to Parkhead.
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