Celtic Opinion: Celtic should win the race for Tomas Kalas

ESPN (h/t Daily Record) has revealed that Celtic lead the race for Chelsea star Tomas Kalas as the club look for reinforcements. The 25-year-old has been targeted by both Celtic and Rangers, as the Scottish sides look to bring the out of favour Chelsea man to their club.

For Celtic however, it’s a race they need to win given the state of their defence. At the moment, while the club does have Dedryck Boyata, Jozo Simunovic, Kristoffer Ajer, Jack Hendry and Marvin Compper, they still need reinforcements.

Boyata is out of contract in the summer and both Ajer and Hendry have struggled to make an impact.

Add that to the fact that Compper is 33 years old, and it leaves Celtic in big trouble next season. That’s exactly why Celtic need to battle Rangers for Kalas, and it’s a battle that they need to win especially given the 25-year-old’s talent.

While Kalas did join Chelsea in 2010, he’s made only four senior appearances for the Blues, spending most of his time on loan. This includes spells at FC Koln, Middlesbrough, and more recently at Fulham.

It was at Craven Cottage that Kalas really impressed, showing an afinity for the Championship during his two years with the club, playing a big role as they got promoted.

This saw Bristol City make a move, with him currently on loan there. However, what should attract Celtic to the Cezch Republic star is the fact that he is an all-action defender.

Not only does Tomas Kalas excel as a ball-playing centre-back but the he also uses his athleticism to stop moves before they happen.

Time and loan spells all around have made him very tactically astute and capable of adjusting to any manager’s style of play and tactics, which is an even bigger boost for Celtic.

With Boyata looking for a move away (Scottish Sun), Kalas can replace the Belgian successfully, thanks to a combination of skill and will power.

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Conclusion

Celtic are an attractive proposition and they must be able to convince the player to join them over Ranger simply because of their ambitions.

Players like Tomas Kalas are not available everyday for a club like Celtic, and he will be a great addition.