Celtic’s correspondent for The Athletic, Kieran Devlin, believes summer signing Giorgos Giakoumakis is still far away from a Hoops debut.
The Lowdown: One in two out
Celtic brought Giakoumakis in late on deadline day, with the 26-year-old joining on a five-year deal from VVV-Venlo.
Giakoumakis has since taken the iconic number seven shirt at Parkhead, with Celtic losing Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths in the final hours of the summer window.
The new Hoops man is yet to feature under Ange Postecoglou, though, and it could be a while until fans see him turn out in green and white.
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The Latest: Devlin claim
Devlin set up a Celtic Q&A on The Athletic to discuss the game with Real Betis on Thursday. The Hoops lost 4-3 to the La Liga side, with Devlin making a worrying eight-word claim on Giakoumakis minutes before the game got underway.
He was asked why there was no striker on the bench by one fan, to which he said:
“Giakoumakis quite far away fitness wise I understand.”
The Verdict: Need Giakoumakis available
As the supporter mentions to Devlin, Ange Postecoglou didn’t have a forward to call upon from the bench against the Spanish side.
Kyogo Furuhashi is out injured for a while, so getting Giakoumakis up to speed to rival Albian Ajeti is absolutely crucial.
He last kicked a competitive ball in May, though, so it seems as if he’ll still need time before making his long-awaited Celtic debut, and even then he may have some initial rust to shake off.