Needs to get fitter’: Chris Sutton shares concerns about Celtic’s £3.5m signing

Celtic icon Chris Sutton has concerns about Luis Palma’s fitness levels with the Honduras international ‘fading’ after a bright start to life at Brendan Rodgers’ Scottish Premiership champions. 

After a scintillating start to his career in Glasgow, last week’s 1-1 draw at home with Kilmarnock was typical of Luis Palma’s recent displays. Predictable, sluggish and ultimately rather wasteful.

Yes, the £3.5 million summer signing from Aris Thessaloniki has five goals and nine assists to show for his efforts so far in the Premiership. Only three of those ‘goal contributions’ have come in his last ten league matches, however.

And Sutton, in his Daily Record column, believes that Palma’s issues are less to do with quality and more down to fitness, with technical ability far from the only thing required for a player to succeed in the hustle and blood-pumping bustle of Scottish football.

Chris Sutton sends advice to Celtic winger Luis Palma

“Luis Palma (has) done okay but has faded and needs to get fitter,” Sutton adds.

Palma, who was heavily linked with Old Firm rivals Rangers before arriving on the green side of the city from Greek football, has still been comfortably the most impressive of Celtic’s signings in the second Brendan Rodgers era. Arguably the only ‘hit’ in a sea of misses.

Chants of ‘sack the board’ rang out following the draw with Aberdeen at the start of February, with one-time Ibrox hero Kris Boyd feeling that Celtic have made the same mistake Rangers did back in 2021 when they failed to reinforce a title-winning squad (Scottish Sun).

Rodgers’ side fall behind Rangers in title race

“Odin Thiago Holm (has) barely kicked a ball. Marco Tillo; gone. Kwon (Hyeok-Kyu), gone. Hyun-jun Yang, project. Gustaf Lagerbielke, told he could have gone in January,” Sutton adds, agreeing with Boyd’s assessment of the situation.

“Maik Nawrocki, now behind Stephen Welsh in the queue. Nat Phillips, been and gone. Paulo Bernardo, took time to get going and lost his place in the side when he did.

“The reason Celtic were scrambling in January is because of those mistakes last summer. And the two arrivals, Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah, aren’t automatic starters, which says it all.”

Kilmarnock’s stoppage time leveller at Parkhead last time out means Rangers headed into this weekend’s round of fixtures at the top of the table for hte first time in 18 months.

Celtic face Motherwell on Sunday.

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