OPINION
Celtic could kill two birds with one stone and stun fans by boldly signing Fulham defender Denis Odoi in the near future.
Brendan Rodgers’ side are on the lookout for a new full-back, as reported by The Scottish Sun, due to both Mikael Lustig and Cristian Gamboa’s contract both set to expire.
The Hoops could also do with boosting their central defensive options as well due to centre-back Dedryck Boyata’s current deal being on course to expire at the end of the season.
With this in mind, one swoop could solve Celtic’s problems and it’s a plausible one to say the least.
Odoi is able to play both centre-back and right-back and is currently regularly featuring for Fulham in the Premier League.
The 31-year-old has played 16 times across all competition this season for the Cottagers and despite his side’s leaky defensive record, has stood out for the right reasons at times.
Odoi previously impressed for the Cottagers in the Championship in his 2017/18 campaign where he helped them get promotion by featuring 38 times in the league and he clearly has the tools needed to succeed at Celtic as a result.
Even thought the experienced defender is currently regularly featuring for a side in England’s top-flight, the Hoops could stun fans by luring him to them.
According to the Chronicle Odoi’s current contract is set to expire in June 2019 and that means the Cottagers may be tempted to cash in him on January if they decide they should look for a younger option.
This will play into Celtic’s hands as they would be able to potentially get the Premier League enforcer for a cheap price or they could simply wait to snap him up for free in the summer.
The 31-year-old would no doubt jump at the chance to play for his side battling for honours rather than one fighting for their lives in a relegation battle.
Therefore given that Odoi is on course to be a free agent and due to the fact he could play right-back as well as centre-back, Celtic should stun fans by swooping for a player currently in Fulham’s first-team plans.