Celtic fans have been given a boost with the news that their club has been named as odds-on – at 2/5 – favourites to land Republic of Ireland international Shane Duffy, with the Brighton centre-half said to be eyeing a move to his boyhood heroes.
The Daily Record has reported the drop in price from Paddy Power despite recent stories that revealed just how expensive any deal for Duffy could be – a £2million loan fee on top of wages could take it to £5m in total – but it is an area where Neil Lennon not only needs numbers, but additional quality.
After the arrival of Albian Ajeti, the Hoops gaffer has hinted at a return to the 3-5-2 formation that has served him so well in the past but at the moment lacks the resources to be fully comfortable in it’s implementation:
“We have a bit of food for thought in terms of the formation.
“3-5-2 will be in my thinking but we can be flexible with three or four at the back.”
Duffy is not known for his ball playing skills or distribution and is more of a “no-nonsense” defender, but with Kris Ajer and Christopher Jullien either side, it would be a formidable defence with a good balance of attributes.
Is Shane Duffy better than the current Celtic centre-halves?
Yes
No
As ever in the age of social media, the spark for Celtic jumping to the front of the queue has been the player following the club on Instagram, a far cry from supporters finding out a player had signed when they were stood holding a scarf or sitting signing a contract next to their new manager – time will tell if the price was right or if the bookies have taken a bashing.