Why Bournemouth should sign Celtic star Callum McGregor in January
After making a bright start to their league campaign, Bournemouth have hit a stumbling block in the past month or so. At one stage, they were close to the top-four places and well ahead of Everton and Manchester United, the duo targeting a top-six finish.
However, due to negative results in the last four to five games, the Cherries have come down to eighth position in the table, 11 points behind fifth-placed Arsenal and three behind United. But, if we look at how this team came up from the lower ranks to the top-flight stage, even an eighth place during the Christmas period should be deemed a decent start.
Hence, in overall terms, Eddie Howe’s men are doing a good job and they could improve further as the season carries on into the second half in 2019. The big news is the long-term injury to Lewis Cook, which is expected to keep him out of action until the end of this campaign. Therefore, Bournemouth are literally a central midfielder short for the remaining 22 league games.
Thus, it is imperative from the club and the manager’s point of view that they sign a new midfielder in the January window. Here’s why they should sign Celtic’s Callum Mcgregor and offer support to Andrew Surman, Jefferson Lerma and Dan Gosling.
McGregor’s quality could be a game-changer for the Cherries
As per the latest report in the Scottish Sun, the Cherries are actually weighing up a move for the in-form Hoops midfielder. The report also suggests that Howe is a long-term admirer of the player and that the club scout Mark Burchill was present in the stadium when Celtic played Aberdeen in the Betfred Cup Final.
McGregor has been one of the influential players for Brendan Rodgers’ men this season, stepping up whenever captain Scott Brown has missed games. He can play as a number eight, as a number 10 and as a wide midfielder on the right-hand side.
The 25-year-old has scored four and supplied six assists in 32 appearances in all competitions this season. He can make tackles and interceptions with ease, doing so at the rate of 1.4 and 2.4 respectively in the Europa League games. The Scot also possesses a pass success rate of over 85%, something which Howe loves from his midfielders. (Stats Courtesy – Whoscored.com)
Hence, it is clear that McGregor would be an ideal signing for Bournemouth.