Will Celtic fringe men show they can cut it?
SOME 21 Premiership matches, the League Cup to defend, last season’s Scottish Cup to conclude and possibly 11 European matches. And that’s just for starters. Throw in the international commitments of the majority of his squad before the turn of the year, plus the fact there is no winter break to look forward to, and it’s plain to see that Neil Lennon will have to use his squad wisely if the success Celtic have known is to continue. The Celtic manager remains in the market for a goalkeeper, a central defender and possibly a winger but, with funds at a premium, there will be a huge onus on every player already at the club to deliver in the months that lie ahead. Here, Sportsmail looks at some fringe players who could yet step up to the plate and make a difference in the coming campaign.
PATRYK KLIMALA
Signed from Jagiellonia Bialystok in January for £3million, the Polish striker was always going to be allowed a settling-in period but there will now be an expectation that he offers his manager a feasible option to Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths. Klimala only made four appearances before the season was curtailed, with his only start coming in the Scottish Cup tie at Clyde. His blistering pace was evident in those brief outings but it’s the link-up play and eye for goal that Celtic will want to see the minute hostilities resume.
ISMAILA SORO
The Ivorian midfielder also joined Celtic in January but is yet to be seen in a competitive game. More defensively minded, he is likely to deputise for Scott Brown or occasionally Callum McGregor. Even accounting for the side’s heavy schedule, given the fitness levels of that pair, such opportunities are likely to be limited. Once described by Lennon as ‘a little bull’, the player, who came from Israeli side Bnei Yehuda, should — with a full pre-season under his belt — be up to the physical demands of the SPFL. But he also has to demonstrate that he can match Brown’s ability to break up attacks and switch the play.
BOLI BOLINGOLI
A £3m signing from Rapid Vienna, the Belgian left-back had an up-and-down first season with the club. There were promising moments but also ones where composure on the ball deserted him. He suffered a hamstring injury but didn’t play a league game after the turn of the year and was displaced by Greg Taylor. There is no question there is a player in there but he has to demonstrate that he has the mentality and consistency required at Celtic.
MIKEY JOHNSTON
This feels like a defining moment in the career of the 21-year-old winger. He needs no one to tell him that the club believe in him. A contract until 2023 says as much. When he’s on it, as he was when Lennon’s side won against Rangers at Ibrox in September, he’s a matchwinner. But he plainly has to produce more displays like that more often. Johnston appeared to aggravate a knee injury by playing on against St Johnstone in January so has to realise what’s good for him.
NIR BITTON
It would be doing the Israeli a disservice to simply say he’s an able deputy who rarely lets the side down. While that is true, it says much that the international would be a first choice for most clubs in the country. Although Brown is showing no signs of slowing down at 35, the skipper and his manager will appreciate the need to manage his body. It would be no surprise if Bitton makes far more than the 30 appearances he managed last season.
MARIAN SHVED
Despite being manager at the time he joined, Brendan Rodgers clearly had no interest in him. Remember that pointed quote about there ‘being a million wingers’ at the club? Does Lennon view the Ukrainian in the same light? Bluntly, given he has only played three games under him, it’s impossible to say. But what we do know is that despite talk of a loan move, Shved remained in Scotland during lockdown. He is a full international, so he is clearly a player of some pedigree. Shved has an enormous task to threaten James Forrest’s place in the side but it’s now or never.
HATEM ABD ELHAMED
If it wasn’t for bad luck in his first year, the right-back would have had none at all. Tough, athletic and inventive on the ball, he immediately looked at home after signing from Hapoel Be’er Sheva. But it all started to unravel with the first of a series of muscle complaints that culminated in him missing four months up until March. The fact Jeremie Frimpong was a revelation in his first year at the club means Elhamed will probably start next month as second choice. With a fair wind at his back, though, the 29-year-old could yet emerge to be one of the key players as Celtic aim for ten in a row.