Why Celtic Should Make A Quick Move For Srdjan Plavsic
Scottish Champions Celtic are closely monitoring winger Srdjan Plavsic, who plays for Serbian outfit Red Star Belgrade, as per reports from the Daily Mail. Last month, the same outlet reported that the Hoops’ interest in the highly-rated youngster had piqued and manager Brendan Rodgers was keen to get the deal done before their UEFA Champions League qualifiers in July.
The 21-year old Plavsic is valued in excess of £1.5million by his club as per the report, and has been monitored by several other clubs including Swiss giants FC Basel and Celtic’s pre-season opponents Sparta Prague. There also has been reported interest from Turkish side FC Bursaspor too. Amid so much interest, Celtic will be under pressure to act quickly if they are to snap up the right-sided wide player. But should they be considering a move for Plavsic?
The 21-year old is nicknamed as the “Atomic Ant” in the Serbian footballing circles, owing to his diminutive stature but explosive nature. Standing at just 5ft and 5in, Plavsic more than makes up for his physical stature with excellent trickery and close control of the ball. The youngster possesses a good turn of pace and a wide range of distribution. Plavsic possesses a mean left-foot, with which he unleashes powerful shots at goal by cutting in from the right flank.
Having joined the club back in 2015, the starlet enjoyed his best season for Red Star last campaign, as he finished with 8 goals and 4 assists in the Serbian SuperLiga, helping his team to clinch the league crown – his second league success with the team.
Celtic finished the season unbeaten in all domestic competitions, as they clinched their first domestic treble in more than 15 years. Under Brendan Rodgers, this Celtic team has turned into a formidable attacking unit as they put all their opponents to sword last season.
However, they will be without one of their best players of the last campaign, Patrick Roberts, who has returned to Premier League side Manchester City following the completion of his loan spell with the Parkhead outfit. Roberts was a key player for the Hoops last time around as he notched up a more than impressive tally of 11 goals and 19 assists from 47 games across all competitions.
Celtic were open to the option of getting Roberts back on for another temporary stint, but with the hopes of that fading with each passing day, Rodgers has begun his search for a suitable replacement. They have already signed winger Jonny Hayes from Aberdeen, but are still intent on adding more strength to the wide areas.
In many ways, Plavsic is very similar to Roberts, be it his diminutive stature or his ability to cut in from the right flank and wreak havoc. The 21-year old has already made two international appearances for the Serbia national team and is currently away on international duty, representing the Serbian U-21 side in the UEFA U-21 Euro Championships being held in Poland.
With just 12 months left on his current deal with Red Star, Plavsic is all but certain to leave the club in the summer and a decision on his future will be made after his return from the U-21 Euros. Celtic should definitely make a bid for the player and quickly so if they are to beat the other interested parties.