OPINION
Brendan Rodgers cannot ignore the fact that he needs to improve Celtic’s defence before the end of the month.
He has already sorted out his attack by signing Oliver Burke, Timothy Weah and Vakoun Issouf Bayo early on in the January transfer window, but he is yet to even touch his back-line, which is without doubt the main cause of most of the Bhoys’ issues in the last year and a half.
It cannot be ignored that right-backs Mikael Lustig and Christian Gamboa are not only not good enough for the Scottish Premiership leaders, but they are also out of contract at the end of the season and Rodgers must find replacements as soon as possible.
One player who he simply must sign is Southampton right-back Cedric Soares.
According to the Daily Mail, it is looking increasingly likely that Ralph Hasenhuttl will sell the 27-year-old Portugal international this month and the Saints have now opened talks about signing Genk right-back Joakim Maehle as a potential replacement.
Celtic could actually play a blinder by signing Soares if he is going to be available in the next two weeks before the transfer window closes.
The Euro 2016 winner has made over 100 appearances in the Premier League and has been highly-regarded as one of Southampton’s most consistent players during his spell at St Mary’s.
He would easily become the best right-back in Scotland if the Bhoys were to sign him up and he would instantly displace Lustig in Rodgers’ starting line-up.
Soares is good in attack but he is also a solid defender with a cool head, something which cannot be said about the error-prone Sweden international.
It may cost Celtic quite a bit of cash to sign Soares, but it would definitely be worth it.
Statistics website Spotrac reports that he earns £65,000-a-week at St Mary’s, but that could definitely be whittled down if he is going to lose his spot in Hasenhuttl’s plans for the second half of the season.
If he is going to drop down the pecking order then he could be quite affordable for the Hoops, who still have plenty of unspent money after cashing in on Stuart Armstrong and Mousa Dembele last summer.
Celtic fans have been urging Rodgers to sort out the right-back issue for a long time now and Paradise will undoubtedly erupt if the Northern Irishman went out and plucked Soares from the Premier League.