Rodgers plotting Celtic swoop for £75k-p/w “pitbull”

It is a very exciting time to be a Celtic supporter.

On Friday morning, having reached the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in 12 years, the Hoops discovered that they will be taking on six-time champions of Europe Bayern Munich in the first knockout round, with the first leg at Parkhead coming up in under a fortnight.

Domestically, Brendan Rodgers‘ side have already beaten Rangers in the League Cup Final at Hampden, and sit ten points clear at the top of the Premiership table, with a game in hand, on course for an unprecedented sixth treble in just nine seasons.

However, off the park, before Monday’s January transfer deadline, the Hoops have plenty of work to do in the market. Despite having already bolstered their left flank with the return of Jota, the Portuguese wizard could be joined by a new partner in the coming days.

Celtic seeking defensive reinforcements

According to a report by Stephen McGowan for the Daily Mail, Manchester United left-back Tyrell Malacia is ‘on Celtic’s list’ of potential left-backs to sign before Monday’s deadline.

Why? Let’s break down the situation.

20-year-old Álex Valle, who made 19 appearances for the Hoops during the first half of the season, was recalled by Barcelona this week so he could be loaned out to Serie A side Como, with Rodgers praising the Spaniard’s “fantastic” contribution, stating his “disappointment” that he’d left, intimating this was not Celtic’s decision.

Meanwhile, also in his pre-Aston Villa press conference, Rodgers confirmed that Kieran Tierney had agreed a pre-contract with the club, which will see him return to Glasgow in the summer, with Mike McGrath of the Telegraph reporting that Arsenal have blocked the Celts’ attempts to bring this move forward.

Thus, right now, Greg Taylor is the only recognised left-back in the squad, and even he is out of contract at the end of the season.

Back in September, Rogers described it as a “priority” to tie the “fantastic player” to a new contract, with the Daily Record claiming Taylor ‘wants to stay’, although a report by Croatian outlet Jutarnji List claims GNK Dinamo Zagreb have ‘sent an offer’ as they attempt to sign the Scotland international on a Bosman.

Taylor certainly divides opinion; former Celtic striker Chris Sutton believes his old side “must upgrade”, but journalist Josh McCafferty describes him as “such an intelligent player”, adding he “thoroughly deserves a new deal”.

Well, whatever you think of him, Taylor is going to rack up plenty more minutes this season, unless a high-quality deputy or rival does indeed arrive, with aim of combining with Jota – or Daizen Maeda – down the left flank.

What Tyrell Malacia would bring to Celtic

As Fabrizio Romano has reported, Manchester United are attempting to offload Malacia, who currently earns a whopping £75k-per-week, given that they’re about to sign a new left-wing-back, namely Patrick Dorgu from Lecce, costing around £30m.

Portuguese newspaper Record believes Benfica are ‘currently negotiating’ with Man United over a potential loan deal, but Celtic are still in the mix too, as are Real Betis, according to Caught Offside.

Malacia didn’t make a single appearance between 28 May 2023 and 28 November 2024, a period of 550 days, due to a knee injury, specifically an issue to his left meniscus, before making his long-awaited return in the Europa League against Bodø/Glimt, also starting in Bucharest on Thursday, his ninth appearance of the season.

However, following the 2-0 victory over FCSB at Arena Națională, Rúben Amorim essentially said that Malacia does not fit into his 3-4-3 system, stating “sometimes it’s hard” for a full-back to play wing-back, adding “we are going to help him”.

So, let’s see how Malacia and Celtic’s current incumbent at left-back Taylor compare?

As outlined in the table, since the start of the 2021/22 season, Taylor has played nearly twice as many minutes, but Malacia comes out on top for most per-90 metrics, which shouldn’t be too surprising considering Man United paid a reported £15.7m for his services during this period.

The Scottish international ranks significantly higher when it comes to tackling, but the Dutchman is statistically better in possession, which could suit how Celtic play, considering they’ve averaged over 73% possession in the Premiership this season, almost 10% more than Rangers, who are second on this list.

On top of this, with the returning Jota set to be the first-choice on the left wing, the superstar from Portugal and Malacia could form an unstoppable partnership down Celtic’s left-hand-side, with the Dutchman overlapping and the returning fans’ favourite cutting inside.

Louis van Gaal, who included Malacia in his 2022 World Cup squad, compared the full-back to a “pitbull’, adding “the defensive work he did very well”, suggesting the out-of-favour Man United defender could be the perfect short-term solution, assuming he can stay fit.

With that defensive base behind him, it could allow Jota to thrive in an attacking sense, safe in the knowledge that he has a quality asset behind him. What a partnership that could be.

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