DOOR IS OPEN
Deila refuses to dismiss Celtic return for Samaras
CELTIC manager Ronny Deila last night refused to rule out a surprise Celtic return for Georgios Samaras.
Norwegian Deila is assessing his Celtic squad in Austria ahead of the Champions League qualifiers and admits he is looking to strengthen each department of his team.
He has a list of potential signing targets but admits Greek forward Samaras, who has yet to secure a new club despite being linked with Sevilla and Everton, remains an option for the new campaign.
Samaras was at Celtic for six-and-a-half years but failed to reach an agreement on a new contract before heading to the World Cup.
The 29-year-old said an emotional farewell at Celtic Park on the final day of last season but last week his advisor Gregory Ioannidis took to Twitter to state: ‘It is not too late for Celtic to do the deal.’
While his predecessor Neil Lennon had given up on the club agreeing terms with Samaras long before his resignation, Deila is open-minded.
‘I never close the door on anything,’ said Deila. ‘We will look at the whole picture and see if we will come back to Samaras.
‘I have not made any conclusions and there are many players on our list.’
Samaras’s Celtic career was blighted with inconsistency but, while he was never a regular goalscorer at domestic level, he did emerge as an effective European performer, earning him popularity among supporters.
His penchant for the big occasion was showcased again in Brazil when he slotted home the stoppage-time penalty that saw Greece defeat the Ivory Coast to progress to the last 16.
Deila was suitably impressed but is equally aware of his shortcomings, saying: ‘I watched him in the game he scored the winning penalty. He was very calm in that situation.
‘There have been ups and downs, I think. Offensively he is good running with the ball, defensively there is a lot to work on — he needs to put more energy into it but maybe he can adapt.’