According to Football Insider, Celtic are keen on signing Montpellier forward Thomas Robert on a free transfer this summer.
The report also suggests that the 19-year-old was offered a four-year deal by the Ligue 1 side, however, he rejected it in order to leave France and move to Great Britain. With the teenager now available for free, Scottish sides such as Celtic and arch-rivals Rangers are now showing a keen interest in him.
Moreover, the pandemic coronavirus has put many clubs including Celtic in huge financial constraints, that they have been forced to dip into the free transfer market. Hence, Celtic’s interest in the young French forward does not come as a big surprise. Meanwhile, Robert has been a part of Montpellier’s first-team squad all season but has not made an appearance for them until now. If you are looking to bet on the instinct that a summer move is possible, you would want to ensure that you use the right place like Kenya Betting to help you out.
He was, however, a regular in their UEFA Youth League squad, playing in all their five games, before losing to Chelsea 2-1 in the Round-of-16 fixture in March 2019. With game time at Montpellier getting increasingly limited, Thomas, the son of former Newcastle United winger Laurent Robert, now wishes to follow in the footsteps of his father and make a name for himself abroad.
Robert can offer Celtic plenty of options in attack
Predominantly a winger, Robert is capable of playing across either side of the flanks and can also play as a centre-forward, meaning Celtic could make use of his versatility if they secure his signature.
Also, Celtic has in recent past landed several talented youngsters from France, who have gone on to become star strikers for the side. Lyon’s star striker Moussa Dembele was such a case, who flourished at Celtic as a young striker before moving back to France.
Similarly, they have another talented youngster in Odsonne Edouard, who is currently Celtic’s top-scorer in the league with an impressive 21 goals to his name. The 22-year-old Frenchman was crucial to Celtic’s domestic treble-winning campaign last year, giving indications that Robert could also prove to be such a revelation for them.
Meanwhile, Celtic’s dearth of wingers in the side remains a concern for manager Neil Lennon. At the moment they have four wingers in the side, however, two of them are loanees and are bound to return to their respective clubs at the end of this season.
Considering all that, Robert’s addition will only do them good. Hence, they should make the best out of this situation and try to bring the French teenager to Celtic Park as soon as possible.
Verdict
With Roberts available for free and given the fact that they lack wingers in their side Celtic should sign Robert to bolster their options ahead of next season. Moreover, he is still in his teens and can flourish under the guidance of a coach like Lennon. Also, his versatility in attack will offer Lennon plenty of options, which could prove to be a valuable asset for Celtic.