Why Celtic should not rue the missed chance to sign John McGinn
Celtic were linked with a move to sign John McGinn from Hibernian in the summer but the player eventually joined Aston Villa instead for a fee of £2.75million.
BBC Sport claims that Celtic were really keen on signing the Scotland international but Brendan Rodgers’ side missed out. Since then, both parties have been through a series of ups and downs. However, the Hoops have no reason to rue the failed transfer.
To be fair, the 24-year-old made a brilliant start to life at Villa. Even as the Midlands outfit had their own set of struggles, the midfielder worked wonders for them and looked worthy of every penny.
In stark contrast, Celtic faltered initially and crashed out of the Champions League as well. But Rodgers’ men have definitely made up for lost ground and have restored their glory in Scotland. And Callum McGregor has been at the centre of all good things for the Scottish giants.
He is definitely a lot more versatile when compared to McGinn, which is illustrated by the fact that he has been utilised as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and on the right-hand side of the midfield.
The Villa man, in comparison, has only been limited to the central midfield area. As far as goals and assists are concerned, McGinn has scored 2 and assisted 4 more in 15 Championship appearances so far.
McGregor, on the other hand, has chipped in with 1 goal and 3 assists in 12 Scottish Premiership appearances in the ongoing season.
Celtic were in dire need of a long-term successor to Scott Brown and considering McGregor’s impressive performances, it is safe to suggest that they have their man in the team.
In fact, Brown’s injury and subsequent absence provided the perfect platform for McGregor to establish his dominion and he has done exactly that.
The 25-year-old has excelled in the Europa League as well. That said, one cannot deny McGinn’s talent or skills and he is certainly a great player. His presence has elevated Villa’s power in the middle of the park and with Dean Smith at the helm, he could achieve great things with the Championship outfit.
But when one takes a look at McGregor’s growth and development – in terms of his contributions and techniques – Celtic should certainly not regret the missed opportunity to sign McGinn.