Celtic supporters are seeing business getting done this summer. Having lost Dedryck Boyata (BBC), Neil Lennon brought in Christopher Jullien (BBC), and now it looks like he could be set to further bolster his team this transfer window.
A report from Football Insider has claimed that the Hoops are set to offer West Brom’s young midfield star Rekeem Harper a bumper contract in an attempt to convince him to swap the Hawthorns for Parkhead.
The youngster is reportedly subject of a lot of interest in England, according to the FI article, but with his contract at West Brom expiring over the weekend, he’ll be available on the cheap, with only a compensation fee for development costs needed seeing as West Brom have offered the player a new deal.
New West Brom boss Slaven Bilic wants to keep the player, but Celtic are more than prepared to increase their contract offer if needed, especially seeing as cross-border rules apparently mean they’d only have to shell out £250,000 for him.
From what we saw of Rekeem Harper last season, it looks like the teenage sensation could really kick on and become a top player at Parkhead, as the bright young midfield man recorded some very impressive stats at in the West Midlands, averaging 1.2 dribbles per game and an 85.4% pass success rate last season, as per WhoScored.
Only Matt Phillips (1.6) and Harvey Barnes (1.7) averaged more dribbles (minimum of five games played), displaying the sort of ball carrying ability Harper brought to West Brom’s midfield when he was able to play.
Former Celtic boss Tony Mowbray, who signed the youngster on loan at Blackburn in 2017, told the Lancashire Telegraph at the time that people he trusted in the game told him what a ‘fantastic talent’ the player was and perhaps, considering his decent dribbling stats, he could add drive to a Celtic central midfield who already dominate possession.
FootyStats collate that the Hoops averaged 63% possession last season yet did score less than closest challengers Rangers in the league, so having another option who can break from the engine room and average 0.9 shots per 90 min, might be a helpful supplement to their attack.
The Scottish champions, though, may face tough competition for Harper’s signature this summer. According to The Mirror back in June, Juventus, Tottenham and Liverpool are all after the Championship sensation, yet Celtic might be able to offer the player something the rest can’t: game time.
At Celtic, the midfielder surely has a better shot of becoming a first-team regular than at an outfit in a stronger division such as the Premier League or Serie A. Indeed, the Bhoys poached Moussa Dembele from Fulham as a 19-year-old back in 2016 (BBC), before selling him on to Champions League side Lyon last summer (BBC), so have shown they are willing to take chances on talent from south of the border and help develop them.
We’ve already seen Neil Lennon move to bring in Luca Connell from Bolton (BBC), another teenage Championship midfield talent, and with Celtic featuring in 63 competitive games last season from European play-offs to domestic cup finals, there could be plenty of game time for the Bhoys to share around their squad.
Celtic fans, would you be happy signing Rekeem Harper this summer? Comment below and let us know!
