Lille teenager Fadiga Ouattara celebrates after scoring a goal. (Image Credits: Twitter)
According to French journalist Manu Lonjon via Get French Football News (h/t Daily Record), Lille teenager Fadiga Ouattara is on the radar of Celtic.
The rising Lille star has been earning rave reviews in his homeland France after his impressive displays in the UEFA Youth League competition. The 18-year-old forward scored four goals from his six appearances for Lille’s youth side.
His excellent performances for Lille’s youth team saw the young Ouattara being included in the French side’s reserve team in January and is considered as a potential future star. Celtic have a history of roping in young French talents and developing them into established stars. The most recent examples being French strikers Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard.
Primarily a striker, Ouattara is also capable of playing anywhere in the front-three, making him a valuable addition to Neil Lennon’s squad.
Celtic have four finishers in their squad – Edouard, Leigh Griffiths, Patryk Klimala and Vakoun Issouf Bayo. Edouard and seasoned campaigner Griffiths are obvious first choices in Lennon’s squad at the moment, while Klimala and Bayo are back-up options.
Klimala, who arrived from the Polish side Jagiellonia, has not yet impressed boss Lennon, with the youngster making just two league appearances so far. Meanwhile, Bayo, who arrived in January 2019, is way down the pecking order, managing just 17 appearances so far and scoring a mere two goals.
Moreover, with Edouard’s future remaining an uncertainty at the moment, it would be safe for Celtic to make an approach for the talented Ouattara. Celtic still have Griffiths, who recently made a comeback into the first-team line-up after a dry spell last year.
However, he will turn 30 this August and is a shadow of the player that he once was. Hence, by all means, roping in the versatile Ouattara would only do Celtic a world of good.
At present, Celtic only have Edouard and Griffiths as established strikers. With back-up men Klimala and Bayo yet to impress, signing the young Ouattara seems like a good option. He is still in his teens and could develop more under the guidance of Lennon.
