Kilmarnock left-back Greg Taylor was scouted by Celtic during his team’s Betfred Cup win over Hamilton at the weekend, according to reports in Scottish media.
The Daily Record reported that the 21-year-old is “under consideration” by the Hoops, who watched him in action at Rugby Park on Saturday, but Kilmarnock manager Angelo Alessio is adamant that they will not accept any offers for the player.
Taylor has been on Celtic’s wishlist in recent weeks, according to the Daily Record, and it seems that he is not the only full-back in Neil Lennon’s sights.
The Daily Record claimed that Olympiakos right-back Omar Elabdellaoui is also being considered by Celtic and that sources close to Rosenborg’s Birger Meling have said that there have been no discussions so far on a possible move to Glasgow.
Taylor has played in all five of Kilmarnock’s competitive matches so far this season, featuring for the full 120 minutes in Saturday’s extra-time win against Hamilton.
He has made 131 appearances for the club despite not turning 22 until November and, in their 1-2 defeat to Rangers earlier his month, he reached 100 Scottish Premiership appearances.
He has not been a prolific goalscorer from left-back, with just one goal so far in his senior career, but he has provided 10 assists, an average of one every 13.1 matches.
Taylor offers a very strong presence in the air, winning 4.11 aerial duels per game for Kilmarnock last season. He is also adept at cutting out opposition attacks, with a match average of 4.72 interceptions in 2018/19. [statistics from Wyscout, via Herald Scotland]
Ball retention is one of the weaker aspects of his game, with a passing success rate of just 74.2% last season. [statistics from Wyscout, via Herald Scotland]
Celtic have already been made to pay for carelessness in possession from the left-back position this season, with summer signing Boli Bolingoli culpable of slack passing that led to the concession of goals against Sarajevo and CFR Cluj in the Champions League qualifiers, as noted by Jonathan McFarlane of Football Scotland.
Lennon still seems unsatisfied with his current left-back options, given that he opted to put attacking midfielder Callum McGregor rather than Bolingoli in that position for last week’s Champions League qualifying defeat to CFR Cluj. [via BBC]
The Belgian has come in for criticism from some Celtic fans in the early weeks of his time in Glasgow, as noted by Football Scotland, and with reserve left-back Calvin Miller yet to make a first-team matchday squad this season, the Hoops still appear light in this part of the pitch.
With Taylor’s aerial strength and clever reading of the play to snuff out attacks, he seems like a far more dependable left-back than anything Celtic currently have, so the Hoops ought to test Kilmarnock’s resolve with a tempting bid, especially after pocketing £25m from the sale of Kieran Tierney.
Celtic fans, should the club follow up their interest in Taylor with a transfer offer to Kilmarnock? Let us know what you think by commenting below!
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