Why Celtic should go all out to sign Britt Assombalonga in January

Back in July, Football Insider (h/t Bristol Post) had claimed Celtic were involved in a three-way battle to sign Middlesbrough striker Britt Assombalonga. However, no deal materialized in the summer and he stayed put at Middlesbrough.

Britt Assombalonga, 26, has been on the books of Middlesbrough since the summer of 2017 when he joined from Championship rivals, Nottingham Forest. He made 28 starts and 14 substitute appearances in the Championship for Middlesbrough last season, scoring 14 goals in the process.

During the 2017-18 campaign, the DR Congo international scored 15 goals in 46 appearances for Boro. Currently, he has four goals and one assist 15 games as Boro find themselves in the relegation zone under Jonathan Woodgate.

Nevertheless, Celtic should revive their interest in Assombalonga and aim to sign him during the January transfer window.

If Celtic are to maintain their dominance in Scotland as well as do well in Europe, Neil Lennon must sign another striker in January. Odsonne Edouard is the club’s first-choice number 9, bagging goals for fun at the moment.

Now, the striker is in blistering form, smashing 12 goals and six assists across all competitions this season.

But Edouard is currently the club’s only fit frontman, with Leigh Griffiths and Vakoun Bayo both out with injuries. That’s why the Hoops must sign a striker in the New Year and Assombalonga would be a good fit at the Parkhead.

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Assombalonga would be a superb addition to Celtic attack. He can share the goalscoring burden alongside Edouard. At 26, the Congolese is entering the prime years of his career and that makes him a wise investment for the Hoops.

Verdict

A devastating finisher, Assombalonga is proven at the Championship level and he has all the tools to be a success at Celtic.