Celtic FC Opinion: Should the Hoops sign Roberto Insigne?

Despite losing Moussa Dembele in the summer (BBC), then losing Brendan Rodgers in the winter (BBC) and appointing former manager Neil Lennon (Sky Sports), Celtic are still doing well.

The new Leicester City boss has left the team in relatively good shape for the season, thus giving Lennon an easy ride to a domestic treble.

Lennon is only on a six-month contract, but the club would know that reinforcements are needed in the summer. Defender Dedryck Boyata (Sun) and midfielder Scott Allan (BBC) look set to leave in the summer and to make things even worse, they have four players on loan.

The list includes Timothy Weah, Oliver Burke, Daniel Arzani, and Jeremy Toljan. This gives the club a headache but it is nothing that cannot be fixed by the club’s scouting network over the summer.

That being said, one player that Celtic really have to add over the summer is a winger and preferably, a permanent signing. At the moment, other than James Forrest, Ryan Christie and Mikey Johnston, Celtic do not have wingers who are younger than 29 or aren’t loanees.

That’s exactly why the Hoops should make a move for Napoli star Roberto Insigne, given how well the 24-year-old has been playing. Lorenzo Insigne’s younger brother, Roberto, is contracted to Napoli but has never played a single game for the senior side.

Instead, the 24-year-old has been sent out on multiple loan spells over the course of his career. Yet, that hasn’t stopped Insigne from making an impact, with the Italian scoring 7 goals and creating 9 assists in just 21 appearances this season.

While he is naturally a right-winger, Insigne can play anywhere across the line, thanks to a blend of spatial awareness and pace. This allows him to find small pockets of space inside the box, which makes him capable of ghosting into the final third at times.

Insigne’s work rate is also impressive and he uses his pace both defensively and offensively. Furthermore, what makes him close to perfect for Celtic is the fact that he’s managed to consistently either create or score goals.

That’s what the Hoops need more than anything, as it will take some of the burden off both James Forrest and Callum McGregor. Both the Scottish internationals lead Celtic’s assists charts with 10 and 9 respectively, but only Forrest has managed double figures in goals.

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Conclusion

With Jonny Hayes and Scott Sinclair entering their 30s, things will get worse for Celtic unless they don’t use the summer window effectively.

Adding someone like Roberto Insigne will not only help them move forward, but for the Napoli man, it’s that time in his career where first-team football will further help his growth.