OPINION
Celtic must sign West Bromwich Albion defender Allan Nyom after he revealed uncertainty around his future.
The 30-year-old right-back has been asked if he is staying at the English Championship club for next season, but on his Instagram story, the £35,000-a-week player (Spotrac) plunged his future into doubt by replying with an emoji of a person shrugging.
The Scottish Champions must take advantage of this uncertainty and make a move for 6ft 2in Nyom (TransferMarkt), who would drastically improve their right-back options.
The current options at right-back are the forgotten Cristan Gamboa, who signed from West Brom in August 2016, but he only made three appearances all season and looks completely out of favour at Celtic Park.
The only other decent option in that position is Mikael Lustig who made 43 appearances last season, but at the age of 31, the club needs to move quickly to replace him as he’s not the quality option that he once was. The position could do with a complete refresh.
That’s where Nyom comes in. The Cameroon international is a very athletic right-back, who can also play centre-back and left-back. He’s got unbelievable stamina and can get forward to support attacks for the full 90 minutes, he’s also good in defensive positions when one-on-one with quick attackers, as he’s got the pace to combat anything they can throw at him.
The only weakness in his game is that he is prone to lapses in concentration, but that can be coached and he can improve under Brendan Rodgers, who loves working with players on the training pitch and helping them with aspects of their game. He would also be available for a relatively small fee considering that the Midlands club were relegated last season.
It’s clear that Celtic need new, fresh options in the right-back position, with Lustig getting older and Gamboa out of favour. Nyom would be a cheap and sensible option in this summers transfer window.