At a giant of a club like Celtic, first impressions count for everything. Failure to win over the Parkhead faithful almost immediately can prove fatal.
Just look at last season, with £5m man Michel Ange Balikwisha making just seven Premiership appearances before he was ruthlessly cast aside, while January arrival, Joel Mvuka, made just two mere cameos as Martin O’Neill swiftly decided he’d seen enough.
There are example where a slow start can lead to a rapid improvement later down the line, as was the case for a certain Nicolas Kuhn, but more often than not, new additions simply have to hit the ground running.
Competitive action hasn’t got underway as yet for the Parkhead side, but thankfully, the early signs do appear to be promising regarding summer signing, Camilo Duran.
What Celtic learned from Duran’s debut against Sporting
The intrigue surrounding new man Duran has been cranked up even more considering the Colombian remains the only signing of the window so far, having joined on a £6m deal from Qarabag.
The 24-year-old had scored and assisted 25 goals in 45 games in Azerbaijan, notably netting five times in ten outings in the Champions League last season.
While not necessarily a natural number nine, Duran did showcase his goalscoring prowess on debut against Sporting CP last week, pouncing on a loose touch inside the area before slotting home from close range.
The speed at which the South American closed the defender down really was eye-catching, and as O’Neill himself noted, it felt like watching Daizen Maeda mark two in action.
“I’m delighted with him,” O’Neill told club media when asked about Duran.
“I didn’t think that he got a great deal of service with the changes that we made during the course of the game. Overall, I think he will be a really good acquisition for us.
“We talked about Maeda being able to close players down. He might be the second Maeda in that aspect. He certainly has a willingness to do so.”
That likeness to Maeda bodes well for what Duran can offer the Scottish champions moving forward, with it now a case of ensuring there is quality alongside him in the attacking unit.
Celtic could now pair Duran with a “£100m winger” at Parkhead
It’s mid-July, and for Duran to have been the only new arrival so far is a little concerning, particularly at a time when this squad is in need of a drastic overhaul.
The Parkhead hierarchy will want to be judged on their business in late August rather than at this stage, yet with Champions League playoffs looming, time is of the essence to get more additions in the door.
There does at least appear to be work underway on that front, with TEAMtalk reporting that Celtic remain in ongoing talks with the agents of Haissem Hassan, ahead of a potential summer deal.
The chance to offer potential Champions League football to the Egyptian is seen as a real bonus, amid significant rival interest, with the Hoops at least showcasing a willingness to spend on elite, in-demand targets.
Movement, in terms of new signings, is ‘expected soon’, with Hassan likely to represent a real coup if he is to sign, someone who can flourish as part of a new-look forward line alongside Duran.
Indeed, with Duran taking on Maeda’s mantle either off the left or through the middle, the right flank could belong to the Real Oviedo winger, having dazzled on that side for both club and country of late.
In the view of The Secret Scout, Hassan looked almost like a “£100m winger” in Egypt’s World Cup defeat to Argentina, supplying the assist for Zico’s goal, after having produced a stunning solo run in the build-up to his teammates’ earlier disallowed strike.
The 24-year-old hadn’t been involved too greatly all game, making just 27 touches in total, yet came alive in those key moments, bamboozling a shaky Argentine defence with his blend of speed and trickery.
He may not have scored in LaLiga last term, while registering only three assists as Oviedo suffered relegation, yet Hassan was his side’s major threat, responsible for 18.7% of the Spanish outfit’s total progression.
|
Most Successful Dribbles – 25/26 LaLiga |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Record |
|
Yamal |
133 |
|
Vini Jr |
87 |
|
Mbappe |
78 |
|
Munoz |
75 |
|
Ounahi |
69 |
|
N Williams |
67 |
|
Ratiu |
63 |
|
Hassan |
61 |
|
Pepe |
59 |
|
Ejuke |
57 |
That record saw him rank in the top 1% of wingers in Europe’s big five leagues in that regard, while he also ranked in the top 1% for both progressive carries and successful dribbles per 90.
What is clear is that Hassan is a delight to watch, such a gifted ball carrier who could finally provide Celtic with what they’ve been missing since Kuhn’s £16.5m exit a year ago.
On the opposite side, should Maeda depart, O’Neill would then also have the pace and pressing of Duran, the latter man ranking in the top 5% in the Champions League last season for percentage of ground duels won per 90, showcasing his ability to defend from the front.
As he showed with key goals against the likes of Benfica, Duran has the explosiveness to stretch a defence in behind, ensuring he could feed off any service supplied to him by Hassan off the right.
Having two truly mobile, penetrating forwards working in tandem should help to make Celtic a fearsome prospect again in attack, with this the type of deal that O’Neill’s men are simply crying out for.
