Why Celtic should stay away from the talented Ibrahim Said

According to All Nigeria Soccer (h/t The Leicester Mercury), Leicester City have joined Celtic in the race for Dabo Babes’ Nigerian starlet Ibrahim Said.

Ibrahim Said, 17, shot to fame, thanks to a stunning hat-trick against Ecuador in the recent FIFA U17 World Cup. He recently attended the Ballon d’Or awards as he was nominated for the Goal of the Tournament.

A host of clubs from around Europe have been linked with the teenager, but Celtic and Leicester are two clubs looking to arrange talks with the youngster and his representatives, the report adds. (h/t The Leicester Mercury) Nonetheless, Celtic must stay away from the 17-year-old Nigerian.

Celtic restored their two-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership by beating Hibernian at the weekend to pick up their eighth consecutive league victory.

The Bhoys also won the first trophy of the domestic campaign by beating arch-rivals Rangers 1-0 in the Scottish League Cup final, thus maintaining their chances of clinching the domestic treble for the fourth season in a row.

For Celtic to maintain their gallop towards another Premiership title, Neil Lennon needs to beef up his squad in January. The Hoops have been terrific this season so far but they are still a long way off from becoming a top European side.

They need to continue investing smartly in the market, blood youngsters and continue exciting the fans with their attacking brand of football.

One such youngster who has caught the attention of a host of European clubs is Ibrahim Said. Due to his explosive pace and versatility down the right, he has earned comparisons with one-time Premier League winner Victor Moses, who is currently on loan at Fenerbahce from Chelsea. (h/t The Leicester Mercury)

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Celtic boss Neil Lennon has always back budding prospects to make their mark and that should make Said a perfect fit at Parkhead. However, Celtic already have a plethora of young talents that could make it difficult for Said to break into the senior team.

Instead, Lennon’s priority in January has to be to sign an experienced striker to play as a back-up to Odsonne Edouard, who has been in scintillating form this season.

Verdict

Said is a player with huge potential but Celtic must drop their interest and aim to invest in improving other areas of their squad in the January transfer window.