Celtic are in pole place to signal a powerful participant forward of Premier League aspect Leeds United, with the Bhoys actively pursuing his signing previous to the summer season.
Celtic shut floor on Hearts after Motherwell triumph
What a weekend it was for Celtic’s title hopes.
Martin O’Neill‘s aspect got here from behind to beat Motherwell 3-1 at Celtic Park on Saturday — Hyun-Jun Yang netting twice and Tomas Cvancara changing a penalty after Motherwell had been lowered to 10 males.
Then, Hearts went and misplaced 1-0 at Kilmarnock the identical night.
Within the area of some hours, Celtic had closed the hole on the prime of the Scottish Premiership from 5 factors to simply two, with eight video games remaining.
A title race that had regarded prefer it was barely drifting away from them is all of a sudden very a lot alive.
The comeback victory was not fairly.
Motherwell — managed, curiously, by a person himself linked with the Celtic job in Jens Berthel Askou — had been the higher aspect for lengthy spells and silenced Parkhead when Elijah Simply fired them in entrance simply after the half hour.
However Celtic discovered a means, as champions are likely to do.
He is now the frontrunner.
Yang levelled earlier than the break, the pink card and penalty shifted the momentum fully, and the South Korean sealed it with a composed end late on.
O’Neill referred to as Yang “completely excellent” afterwards, and it was onerous to argue.
The stress is now firmly again on Hearts. Their away type has been a persistent weak point — they’ve dropped 9 factors on the street towards St Mirren, Rangers and now Kilmarnock — and so they should nonetheless journey to Celtic Park earlier than the season ends.
The Hoops are within the ascendancy at precisely the fitting time.
That rising perception on the pitch is being matched by ambition off it. With a main summer season rebuild already being deliberate across the appointment of a brand new everlasting supervisor, Celtic are shifting shortly to establish their key targets — and in response to Soccer Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, one title is firmly on the prime of the checklist.
Celtic in pole place to signal Kasper Hogh forward of Leeds United
Kasper Hogh, the 25-year-old Bodo/Glimt striker, is a participant Celtic have been monitoring for a while.
They tried to carry him in in the course of the January window however had been unable to get a deal carried out, with their curiosity remaining forward of the subsequent window opening in June.
Leeds and the Bhoys are mentioned to be ‘chasing a deal’ for him, however FI means that Celtic are the favourites to seal Hogh’s signature — and the reason being simple.
Hogh has been sensational within the Champions League this season, scoring six targets and registering three assists in simply 13 European appearances.
He has discovered the web towards Man Metropolis, Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan and Sporting, with Hogh terrorising Pep Guardiola’s aspect and bagging a brace towards them.
Bodo/Glimt are getting ready to the quarter-finals, and his inventory has risen dramatically because of this, with larger golf equipment now taking discover.
That’s the place Celtic maintain the higher hand over Leeds.
The Yorkshire membership are preventing relegation and haven’t any European soccer to supply. Celtic, in contrast, nonetheless have a really sensible path to the Champions League subsequent season — notably if they’ll reel in Hearts over the approaching weeks.
Bodo/Glimt wish to maintain him, and Hogh himself is reportedly eager on staying within the Champions League, which implies any membership with out that carrot will battle.
That being mentioned, some experiences counsel the Norwegian shock package deal might demand as a lot as £16 million for the striker — and any payment in that area means Celtic must splash a club-record deal.
Celtic nonetheless have work to do — on the pitch and within the switch market. However proper now, every little thing is pointing in the fitting route.
Celtic might seal an excellent higher signing than Kieran Tierney for £0
Celtic are reportedly eyeing up a transfer for a star who could be an excellent higher signing than Kieran Tierney.