Celtic’s hectic pre-season schedule continues.
First, Brendan Rodgers’ side enjoyed victories over both Queen’s Park and Cork City, with Johnny Kenny the only scorer at Lesser Hampden, before young defender Colby Donovan was the late match-winner at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Tuesday.
After that, the Hoops travelled to Portugal, defeated 3-2 by Estrela da Amadora in Seixal, just outside Lisbon, on Saturday; Reo Hatate and Adam Idah the goalscorers.
So, before facing Portuguese champions Sporting CP at Estádio Algarve on Wednesday, could the Celts add another Portuguese player to their squad?
Celtic's latest transfer target
Somewhat surprisingly, just three Portuguese players have ever played for Celtic and, as the table below notes, two are in the current squad.
Jorge Cadete
Sporting CP
1996-97
49
Jota
Benfica
2021-23 & 25-present
99
Paulo Bernardo
Benfica
2023-present
77
Jorge Cadete made an enormous impact at Celtic in the late-90s, scoring 38 goals in 49 appearances for the club, before being sold to Celta de Vigo.
Meantime, Jota and Paulo Bernardo remain key figures in the current Celtic side, even if the former is sidelined long-term due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, so could another Portuguese youngster be about to arrive?
Well, according to a report by Portuguese newspaper Record, Celtic are ‘fighting’ to sign Flávio Nazinho this summer, with Roma and Real Sociedad amongst those also interested.
Nazinho is a 21-year-old left-back who began his senior career at Sporting CP, his debut coming against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in November 2021.
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However, after only accumulating 11 appearances for the Green and Whites, totalling 383 minutes, he joined Cercle Brugge, initially on loan, before the deal was made permanent for €1m (£860k) last summer.
Well, since then, according to Football Transfers, his value has increased exponentially, now worth around £3.2m, so could he join yet another side whose home kit prominently features green?
Why Flávio Nazinho would be a success at Celtic
The young defender’s career has really taken off since moving to Cercle Brugge, making 62 appearances for the Green and Blacks, a key figure as they qualified for a UEFA group stage for the very first time.
One content creator labelled him a “very exciting” full-back who is “quick” and “doesn’t shy away from a tackle”.
Meantime, Ross Pilcher of the Daily Record believes he would be the perfect deputy to Kieran Tierney at left-back, given the returning hero’s injury record, with Rodgers searching for a reliable back-up, following Greg Taylor’s move to PAOK.
Could Nazinho be just that? Well, let’s assess his statistics in last season’s Jupiler Pro League to find out.
Minutes
1,172
185th
Progressive passes
25
37th
Shot-creating actions
53
66th
Goal-creating actions
7
34th
Tackles
36
87th
% of dribblers tackled
68.8%
17th
Take-on success %
57.7%
29th
The table outlines that Nazinho is a well-rounded player, ranking generally highly in terms of passing, chances created, tackling and take-ons.
This is despite his limited minutes due to a hamstring injury, as well as the fact that he was playing for the team that ultimately finished third-bottom, only retaining their top-flight status by beating Patro Eisden Maasmechelen in a play-off; Nazhino scoring during the second leg at Jan Breydelstadion.
When Jota arrived at Celtic, he had failed to make the breakthrough at Benfica and then endured a miserable loan spell at Real Valladolid, before only flourishing once he was signed by Ange Postecoglou.
Well, Nazinho has a lot more senior experience right now than Jota did when he first joined four years ago, suggesting the full-back could be the next young player to burst onto the scene in Glasgow’s East End.
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