Three left-backs Celtic could sign to finally replace Bernabei

Celtic are allegedly eager to add up to four new players to their roster when the January transfer market opens at the beginning of this month.In order to strengthen his team before the second half of the 2023–24 season, Football Insider recently revealed that Brendan Rodgers would also like to sign a striker, a goalkeeper, and a left defender in addition to winger Nicolas Kuhn.

Alexandro Bernabei, the team’s second-choice left-sided defender, may not have much longer at Parkhead if the club decides to sign another left-sided defender.

By acquiring a new left-back to replace the Argentine full-back, who has lagged below Greg Taylor in the standings, Rodgers may ruthlessly fire the player.

Although the 23-year-old dud has only made four appearances in the Scottish Premiership this season, clubs in Italy and Argentina have expressed interest in signing him, according to a December story from The Scottish Sun.

In light of this, Celtic is reportedly interested in signing these three left-backs, who they could choose to replace Bernabei permanently this month.

First of all, the Hoops might really benefit from adding Owen Beck, a young player from Liverpool, to strengthen their defensive alternatives in the second half of the season.

This month, Dave OCKOP revealed that Celtic and Rangers are interested in signing the Welsh defender, who played the first part of the Premiership season on loan with Dundee.

His exceptional Scottish results imply that he would be a great addition for Rodgers and possibly a step up from Taylor at the number three spot.

The aforementioned data illustrates how the Reds phenom performs at the same level for a team lower in the division and leads the way in several important defensive and offensive stats.

Compared to Dundee, Celtic has won 12 more Premiership games and scored 31 more goals. However, Beck has given the club greater quality in possession by creating opportunities and dribbling to advance the ball up the pitch during transitions.

According to these figures, the Hoops objective might strengthen the squad and make Taylor a backup, forcing Bernabei out of the picture.

At twenty-one, Beck may also prove to be a great long-term addition for the Bhoys if they can persuade Liverpool to let go of him permanently. With lots of time remaining, the gifted gem will only get better with experience. 2 Gijs Small

Gijs Smal, a talented left-back for FC Twente, was linked to a move to Parkhead prior to the January transfer window.

The defender, known in his native Sweden as “Smaldini” because to his resemblance to the great Paolo Maldini, has also been linked to Rangers.

At the end of the last campaign, Twente reportedly sought a staggering £6 million for the gifted full-back. However, the player’s contract is set to expire in the summer, and he is expected to use the time to evaluate his options before signing a new deal.

Celtic are allegedly eager to add up to four new players to their roster when the January transfer market opens at the beginning of this month.

Given Smal’s performance for his club in the 2022–2023 season, Celtic could move quickly to persuade the Dutch team to let him go this month rather than risk losing the gem for nothing in the summer. Smal has the potential to be a fantastic addition to the team.

Rangers Journal founder Kai Watson examined the 26-year-old star and praised him as a “aggressive” defender, a claim supported by the fact that he averaged 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game in the Eredivisie last season—1.1 more than Taylor has done in the Premiership this year.

[FBCharts] Gijs Small-1
During the 2022–23 league season, the £2.2k–per–week wizard also created 16 ‘big opportunities’ and helped ten goals in 34 league games for Twente.

Since the beginning of the 2021–2022 season, Taylor has made 77 league appearances for Celtic. During that time, he has assisted eight goals and created thirteen “big chances.”

This shows that if Smal can carry over his form to the Premiership, he may be an improvement over the Scotland international at both ends of the field. For this reason, Rodgers should think about making a move for him this month.3. Tiago Araujo
Scottish, Tiago, Araujo, and Celtic Premiership
Lastly, left-back Estoril Another player who has been linked to a possible transfer to the Scottish powerhouses before the end of the year is Tiago Araujo.

According to a recent report from the Portuguese publication O’Jogo, the Hoops are preparing a raid to recruit the gifted young player in order to improve their roster in January.

According to the report, Benfica still owns half of the talented gem’s “pass,” thus they should be entitled to a portion of the €4 million (£3.4 million) that the Liga Portugal team is willing to pay for.

Araujo, a 22-year-old youngster with potential, might be brought in as a long-term project to eventually take Taylor’s place in the future while enabling Celtic to let Bernabei go right now.

The table above illustrates how the young defender from Estoril, with his added physicality and ability to win possession back for the team, should be able to provide greater quality as a defender for Rodgers.

Araujo is perhaps the least exciting option on this list in terms of what the £3.4 million-rated attacker can offer on the ball, with 0.7 key passes per game this season. However, if Celtic want an immediate first-team quality signing like Smal or Beck, rather than a backup to Taylor who could develop and improve over time, then Araujo could be a solid option.

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