Signs of the times for Celtic in European theatre

CELTIC may well land Shaun Maloney (right). And few would doubt he would be a very welcome addition to the team. He is arguably playing some of the best football of his career, especially on the international stage. Meanwhile, Hoops fans fret about whether or not they can hold on to Kris Commons, a playmaker, creator and goalscorer who still seems worth his weight in gold — no matter how many doubts Ronny Deila may harbour about his suitability for the current highenergy system. Signing one and retaining the other would certainly be a boost to Celtic’s chances of overtaking and outstripping Aberdeen in the race for the title — and it’s definitely a proper contest, no question about it. Looking a little further afield than Scotland, though, does anyone believe Deila’s men are arming themselves for a genuine crack at Inter Milan? Over at the San Siro, they are now celebrating the signing of Bayern Munich attacking talent Xherdan Shaqiri. A proven performer at the elite level, one of the stars of the early stages at last summer’s World Cup, the Swiss forward arrives at Inter in the kind of multimillion-pound deal Celtic can only dream of. That doesn’t mean Hoops fans will treat their Europa League knockout tie against Inter as merely some chance to wallow in nostalgia about that glorious day back in the summer of ’67, of course. They’ll fancy their chances of rattling the aristocrats, especially at Parkhead. But it does underline the scale of the challenge facing even the wealthiest and most ambitious club in Scotland when faced with a team from one of Europe’s major leagues.