Chris Sutton outlines Celtic transfer need but rejects ‘route-one dinosaur’ theory

Chris Sutton has stated that because Oh Hyeon-gyu is having trouble getting minutes, Celtic needs a striker to supplement Kyogo Furuhashi.

Because of the South Korean’s alleged “poor in training” or “doesn’t fancy him” behavior, according to the former Parkhead striker, there is a clear vacuum in the squad’s depth.

While Sutton was greatly delighted by Celtic’s performance against Atletico in the first half, he maintains that as the game progressed, a striker backup who can hold the ball up or win free kicks to relieve pressure was imperative.

Rodges changed his formation to put Kyogo and Daizen Maeda up front as a duo, hence Oh was not included in the Champions League match.

If Giorgos Giakoumakis had remained at the club, he would have been Sutton’s ideal choice; perhaps Oh even possessed the necessary traits. However, the commentator is certain that Celtic needs to buy a different striker with hold-up skills if Oh is not for Rodgers.

“Someone you can clip a ball 40 yards up the pitch and he’ll win you a free-kick or hold the ball up. Drag the opposition back and let your unit move forward and get a breath. Right now, Celtic patently don’t have that. Giorgos Giakoumakis could do it, but he left and Oh Hyeon-gyu might have been the one.

“But the fact he’s not playing much tells me he’s either being poor in training or the manager doesn’t fancy him because it was crying out for that type of striker. It’s not old fashioned, it’s not old school, it’s not route-one dinosaur stuff. It’s a valuable alternative.”

Not that Sutton is advocating for “route-one dinosaur stuff” at Celtic, mind you. Sutton believes a striker with a different approach would be a “valuable alternative” at Parkhead.

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Sutton stated in his Daily Record column: “You need a different way to relieve some pressure and get yourself up the pitch if you can’t play through a team anymore because the legs have gone and you don’t have the bench to boost the energy again without losing the quality in your play.