Why Celtic should revisit their interest in Issac Brizuela to replace Scott Sinclair
According to The Scottish Sun, Mexican international winger Isaac Brizuela has revealed that Celtic tried to sign him during his playing days at Deportivo Toluca.
As per the 29-year-old’s statement, Celtic were genuinely interested in completing a move for him but the Hoops had an approach turned down by his former club Toluca and a deal eventually fell through, owing to Celtic’s unwillingness to match the Mexican outfit’s asking price. (h/t Scottish Sun)
Brizuela departed his boyhood club to join heavyweights Guadalajara in 2015 for a fee of £5million and he has carved out a reputation as one of the best players in the Liga MX over the past few years.
The 29-year-old has won as many as five major honours at Guadalajara, including the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League, where he was named in the Team of the Tournament.
Brizuela, who has been capped by Mexico on 14 occasions at the senior international level, has accumulated a tally of 16 goals and 23 assists in 173 appearances for his current club in all competitions till date.
Despite his failed move to Parkhead five years ago, Brizuela, now 29, has admitted that he still preserves hopes of playing for a club like Celtic at some point before the end of his career. (h/t Scottish Sun)
Well, there are no official reports suggesting that the Hoops are looking to revisit their interest in the Mexican winger and it is Brizuela, himself, who has opened up on his failed move to Parkhead in the past.
Now, with the winger very much in his prime years, it remains to be seen whether the Hoops opt to go back in the market for a player who they tried to sign five years back.
Given that the transfer window is now closed, Celtic will need to wait at least until January to make a move, if at all, they want to bring Brizuela to the club.
To put things into perspective, Celtic are currently quite well-stocked in all departments following a summer of heavy recruitment that marked a complete overhaul of the club’s defensive options but reigniting interest in Isaac Brizuela could prove to be a smart move for the reigning champions.
Neil Lennon brought in Mohamed Elyounoussi on loan from Southampton to add more depth and quality to his wide attacking options but the Hoops do not have the option to buy him permanently at the end of the season, meaning that they are going to have to dip into the market once again next summer to bring in a new player in that role.
Also, with Scott Sinclair slipping dramatically down the pecking order and his contract due to expire at the end of the ongoing campaign, Celtic certainly have a few issues to sort out and going back in the market for Brizuela could make perfect sense.
One might argue that the 29-year-old hasn’t plied his trade outside his native Mexico till now and making a move for him at this stage of his career would be a big risk.
However, he is still very much in his prime and unlikely to cost the Hoops a fortune in the market, meaning that splashing the cash on the winger might not be a big gamble for Celtic.
Capable of playing out wide on either flank, the diminutive winger combines his pace, drive and determination with his sharpness, agility, low centre-of-gravity and trickery on the ball to outsmart the opposition, thus enabling himself to create space to cut inside and wreak havoc through the opposition’s defence.
Furthermore, he is also adept at setting up goals with his pinpoint crossing ability from the wide areas, whilst also boasting of the work rate to keep things ticking for this team.
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All in all, Celtic reigniting interest in the Mexican trickster could work wonders for both parties and, with that in mind, the Hoops should consider having the 29-year-old back on their radar.