Why Celtic should go all out to sign Zinho Vanheusden this month

Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas wants his former club Celtic to look at Standard Liege defender Zinho Vanheusden and Brentford’s Ollie Watkins and this month. (h/t The Scottish Sun)

Celtic are in the transfer market for a new striker to support star man Odsonne Edouard up top. (h/t The Scottish Sun)

Edouard has been scoring goals for fun this season, with the Frenchman netting 17 goals across all competitions so far. The Hoops are still in the Europa League and won’t want to lose their prized asset this month.

Zinho Vanheusden couldn't break into Inter Milan's senior team. (Getty Images) — Zinho Vanheusden couldn’t break into Inter Milan’s senior team. (Getty Images)

Neil Lennon has Leigh Griffiths and Vakoun Issouf Bayo in reserve, but both have spent extended spells on the sidelines throughout the campaign. That makes Lennon’s need for a new striker pretty evident.

Speaking about Zinho Vanheusden, the young defender joined Standard Liege from Inter Milan on a permanent basis this past summer and has quickly become one of the most important players in the squad, owing to his consistent and impressive performances. He has played 17 times this season, with five coming in the Europa League.

With the Belgian impressing for Standard Liege, should Celtic listen to Charlie Nicholas’ advice and make a move for the defender this month? Without a shadow of a doubt, yes!

While Kristoffer Ajer and Christopher Jullien have formed a reliable centre-back partnership at Parkhead this season, the lack of cover in defence has not gone unnoticed, particularly with Jack Hendry out of favour and Jozo Simunovic struggling once again with injuries.

Nir Bitton is a holding midfielder by trade and while he can operate as an emergency centre-back, Lennon needs to strengthen his options in central defence.

Thus, signing Zinho Vanheusden would represent a smart move by Celtic. Vanheusden undoubtedly possesses some thrilling potential at the back and has shown some real promise with Standard Liege this term. However, he is far from a finished product.

Standing at 6ft 2in tall, the Belgian is a physically imposing defender and an intimidating presence at the back at such a tender age.

Neil Lennon is doing well in his second spell as Celtic manager. (Getty Images)

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Verdict

Going by his Europa League exploits this campaign, the 20-year-old has registered 1 tackle, 2.4 interceptions, 4 clearances and 1.2 blocks. He has also enjoyed a respectable 83.6% pass success rate, however, Standard Liege narrowly missed out on qualification to Europa League’s round of 32. [Courtesy: WhoScored]

Vanheusden has developed a good reputation for himself in Europe and would be a fantastic addition to Celtic’s defensive ranks.