Why Patryk Klimala would be a good long-term signing for Celtic
According to the Daily Mail, Celtic have been linked with a move for Polish striker Patryk Klimala, who currently plies his trade with Jagiellonia Bialystok in his homeland.
The 21-year-old Polish U21 international, who is currently rated at £4 million by his current club, has been in fine form in Poland’s Ekstraklasa this season, accumulating 7 goals and 3 assists in 17 league outings so far.
Celtic, though, would need to fend off interest from Danish heavyweights FC Copenhagen, who happen to be their opponents in the Round-of-32 of the Europa League, whilst Italian outfit Genoa have also been credited with an interest in the up and coming Polish hitman. (h/t Daily Mail)
Klimala, who joined Jagiellonia Bialystok from Polish league rivals Legia Warsaw back in 2016, has progressed by leaps and bounds over the past few years and is widely regarded as one of the best rising talents across the nation.
The 21-year-old has scored 11 times in 50 appearances across all competitions for Bialystok and while those numbers don’t seem to flatter that much, the youngster has certainly come of age this term to catch the eye with some top-notch displays in front of goal.
As per the report, Celtic boss Neil Lennon is looking at as many as four new signings during the January transfer window, with a back-up to star striker Odsonne Edouard understood to be a top priority.
The Daily Mail understands that Le Havre hitman Tino Kadewere and Slovan Bratislava star Andraz Sporar have also been linked with moves to Parkhead, but if the recent transfer development is anything to go by, Celtic have made Patryk Klimala their No.1 target in January to bolster the attack.
Meanwhile, Celtic currently sit atop the Scottish Premiership standings, just two points clear of Rangers, after suffering a 2-1 defeat in the Old Firm derby towards the end of December. Having played a game more, the Hoops face the risk of being usurped by their arch-rivals on the table but there is still a long way to go in the title race.
The reigning champions have already bagged their first piece of silverware this season, with the Betfred Cup already in the bag, but there is still plenty up for grabs during the crucial second half of the campaign.
With the title race seemingly set to go down to the wire this term and the Scottish Cup and the knockout rounds of the Europa League also set to get underway in the coming months, Celtic need to beef up their artillery before the January transfer deadline to ensure that they have all their bases covered in quest of another trophy-laden campaign.
That Lennon is keen to bring in a back-up striker to release the workload on Edouard is quite understandable, given that the likes of Vakoun Issouf Bayo and Leigh Griffiths haven’t been able to step up due to their struggles with injuries and poor form.
Ryan Christie, James Forrest and Mohamed Elyounoussi have all contributed with plenty of goals and assists, but one does get the feeling that lack of a proper understudy to Edouard in the centre-forward role could come back to haunt the Hoops moving forward in the season.
Verdict
To put things into perspective, Patryk Klimala is still very much in his formative years but there have been obvious signs to suggest from his performances in the Polish top-flight this term that the youngster has the talent and the potential to make the step up to a more competitive league in the near future.
With Edouard continuing to be the key man up top, Klimala is likely to get adequate time to settle down in his new surroundings and working under a charismatic manager like Lennon would certainly help him get to grips with the rough-and-tough nature of the Scottish game.
Klimala, of course, still has his best years ahead of him and Celtic’s outlay in the transfer market could be well worth it, given that the Pole apparently has the raw materials to evolve into a top-quality asset at Parkhead in the years to come.
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Having said that, Celtic going all out in their pursuit of the 21-year-old could pay off handsomely for the club’s long-term plans moving forward.