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Celtic have been linked with a move to sign a player from direct Premiership rivals Hibernian as they monitor their teenaged defensive talent Josh Doig.
Sky Sports have reported that the Hoops are amongst the clubs interested in signing the 18-year-old. If they want to snap up the left-back though, they may need to fight off Arsenal and Chelsea, who are also lurking, ready to pounce.
The Hoops have struggled defensively this season as they have fallen into the shadow of neighbours and rivals Rangers. The men from the blue side of Glasgow hold a whopping 23-point lead over the reigning champions and Celtic’s most recent loss to St Mirren only further highlights how unimaginable a comeback is at this stage.
Would Frank Lampard be a good replacement for Neil Lennon?
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Neil Lennon also struggled to guide his team through the Europa League group stages. After banking just four points, the Bhoys finished bottom of their group, having conceded the joint-most goals in the competition.
Strengthening their defence is definitely something Celtic must prioritise. Doig could prove to be an ideal signing, as not only would he cost very little judging by his £450,000 Transfermarkt value, but he is very similar to Celtic’s on-loan left-back Diego Laxalt.
According to WhoScored, the two are alike in their defensive performances this season. The pair average a similar amount of aerial duels won per match, plus tackles won and clearances made too. This potentiallt bodes extremely well for Doig, who is nine years Laxalt’s senior and still has a lot to learn.
However, his reliable nature for Hibs will have definitely caught the eye of Lenno, Peter Lawwell and Celtic’s other decision-makers. His defensive awareness, for a teenager, is very solid and he even caused Celtic star David Turnbull some problems the last time they met.
According to Sofascore, Doig made a crucial four tackles in the first half of the match and stopped Turnbull having a sniff at goal. It was only when the teen was substituted off in the second half that Celtic found a way through. Funnily enough, it was Turnbull who found the back of the net too, getting the better of Doig’s replacement, Lewis Stevenson.
If Lawwell can snap up the rising talent before too many other clubs become aware of his ability, he could have a defender for the future in his ranks for, potentially, a very low price.
In other news, Lawwell has pulled off smart Celtic business with Ben Davies coup…
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