CAN DEILA PLUG GAPS WITH PANTIC?
Deila scouts Pantic in bid to strengthen Celtic’s leaky defensive line
THE search for a sense of security in central defence has been ongoing for Celtic ever since last season came to an end. On Sunday, it led Ronny Deila to Seville, where he watched Aleksandar Pantic help Eibar record a clean sheet in a highly impressive 4-0 away win over Real Betis.
The 23-year-old Serb has been followed by Celtic scouts for several months. On loan from Villarreal, where his contract expires this summer, Pantic figures in the extensive transfer considerations currently being undertaken inside Parkhead.
Pantic is not the only centre-half on their list of options. Nor is centre-half in any way the sole position that Celtic are seeking to strengthen. Yet it remains an obvious area of concern.
If scribbling out the litany of faults exposed by a series of mostly miserable European expeditions, the flimsiness of the defending would surely appear at the top of the page. Those in the middle regularly failed to cope as they were left unguarded by advancing full-backs.
The statistics from the Europa League campaign make for grim reading. In their six games, Celtic shipped 12 goals. Across 38 Premiership games last season, they conceded just 17 times.
In the league this season, Deila’s side have still conceded four fewer goals than any other Premiership side. But that is hardly a cause for celebration. Or the limit of their ambitions for the future.
If Deila is to build a unit capable of qualifying for the Champions League at the third attempt — an aim on which his job could hinge — the Norwegian has to study alternative options to those currently at his disposal.
Losing both Virgil van Dijk and Jason Denayer — a partnership that grew in strength last season — meant a process of rebuilding was inevitable. Whether the right bricks are in place to create this key foundation is another matter.
Jozo Simunovic, represented by the same agents as Pantic, has shown signs of promise since his £3million switch from Dinamo Zagreb on a five-year contract. Injury removed the 21-year- old from the worst of the continental collapses, with decent personal outings in the final two Europa League matches against Ajax and Fenerbache.
Dedryck Boyata was, however, present and guilty when Celtic were being mauled by Molde. The Belgian has toiled to convince ever since arriving from Manchester City, displaying a worrying propensity for costly individual errors.
Tyler Blackett was the third centre-half recruited for this term but he hasn’t been seen since that painful 2-1 home defeat to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team back on November 5.
The 21-year- old, on loan from Manchester United, looked nervous from the moment he replaced the injured Simunovic early in the match. He lasted an hour before suffering the ignominy of becoming a substituted substitute.
Elsewhere, Efe Ambrose remains his unpredictable self, with his botched back-header so costly for Celtic in their 2-2 homed raw against Fenerbahce in October. Clearly, this isn’t a cast list that brings a guarantee of solidity in elite-level matches.
Would Pan tic, potentially available on a pre- contract deal, provide greater assurance? Certainly, the Serbian Under-21 international has amassed decent experience f or a defender his age.
After starting his career with Belgrade side FK Rad, Pantic moved to city rivals Red Star before signing a three-year contract with Villarreal in the summer of 2013.
Loaned out to Cordoba in La Liga last season, he is now spending a similar spell with Eibar. And thriving.
Pantic has become a regular as the little club from the Basque region have climbed to eighth place in the table.
‘Eibar are a good team and Pantic has been part of a solid defence,’ said f ormer Northern Ireland international Gerry Armstrong, who covers La Liga for Sky Sports. ‘They haven’t got to where they are in the league for no reason.
‘They have done extremely well this season — after escaping relegation last summer when Elche went down instead because of financial irregularities.
‘Eibar have only conceded one more goal than Real Madrid this season and the players they added in the summer have obviously contributed to that.
‘They have adapted really well to La Liga and now know the league inside out. They are very hard to play against.
‘A centre-half who does well in Spain should be a success in Scotland, because La Liga is a lot more difficult to play in than the Scottish league.
‘That would especially be the case if you are competitive, if you have that edge to your game. And Eibar do have that competitive spirit. Like the other Basque clubs, it is part of the demand and the make-up of their football.’
What, though, of Pantic’s inability t o make a breakthrough at Villarreal? According to Armstrong, it should not be held against him.
‘Villarreal have got a really good side, as you can see from them being fourth in the table,’ he added. ‘I watched them recently when they beat Valencia 1-0 over the Christmas period. They are a proper team.
‘ Defensively, they are strong. Earlier this year, they signed a 21-year- old lad called Eric Bailly from Espanyol for more than £3.5m. And he can’t get into the team.
‘ They have an abundance of talent in that central defensive area. Mateo Musacchio, t he Argentinian player, has come back into the side and he is only 25. That leaves Bailly on the bench and he is a very decent player.
‘I certainly wouldn’t look upon it as being a slight if you couldn’t quite get a game for Villarreal. It is difficult to get into that side. Very difficult.’