da bet nacional： Celtic’s January business was puzzling but it doesn’t appear to have mattered.
da betano casino： They brought in Patryk Klimala and Ismaila Soro who have played a grand total of 101 minutes since arriving in Scotland – the latter hasn’t featured at all.
However, they managed to swerve a bullet with one January target – Niklas Eliasson.
The Swede was linked in January, per The Sunday Mail (26/01 print edition – via Daily Record), but he’s been rather inept in recent weeks, now reduced to appearing on the substitutes bench in the Championship. The decision to not pursue their interest further appeared vindicated.
No midfielder in the second tier of English football has more than his 12 assists this term but the fact of the matter is that since being linked with a switch to Scottish football, he has only produced one assist and delivered a succession of underwhelming performances for Bristol City.
In fact, his lowest rating in the eight games since February, via WhoScored, has been a measly 5.75.
An exciting creative player on his day, the 24-year-old is the definition of an enigma. Bright and canny in spells, he has the potential to frustrate and disappoint in equal measure. As Celtic target nine consecutive titles and beyond, he is not the type of player they need in their ranks.
Eliasson is out of contract in the summer and consequently would cost Celtic nothing should they reignite their interest. Last month it was suggested he wouldn’t pen new terms, thus paving the way for the Hoops to make their move without many obstacles in the summer.
Although he’d cost nothing, Eliasson is now severely out of form and after ignoring him once, Nick Hammond would be foolish to bring him to Celtic Park purely on the basis that he’d be a free agent.
The Bristol City man has registered an impressive 1.7 key passes per game this term – laying on 56 in total. That tally puts him 17th in the division for chance creation so the very fact he has 12 assists is a testament to his teammate’s finishing abilities.
Eliasson is a creative hub but Celtic have a plethora of options in midfield who can provide the spark – that includes Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie who have combined for a total of 26 assists in 2019/20.
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They have been producing on a more consistent basis and rarely find themselves too many games without a goal involvement. McGregor, for instance, has contributed to 13 strikes in his last 12 outings.
Eliasson, therefore, clearly isn’t needed. Hammond needs to avoid another potential swoop in the summer unless his form drastically improves and he proves he can be more consistent.
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