An update has emerged on Celtic as they attempt to add another central defender to their squad ahead of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign…
What's the latest Celtic transfer news?
According to Football Scotland reporter Mark Hendry, Legia Warsaw centre-back Maik Nawrocki has arrived in the UK to complete his medical with the Hoops.
The journalist has claimed that the Polish battler is now in the process of doing all of his tests and going over his contract ahead of joining up with Brendan Rodgers' squad.
This comes after Hendry reported on Friday that the Scottish giants were closing in on a deal to sign the 22-year-old talent for a fee of around £4m.
What is Maik Nawrocki's preferred foot?
The Poland U21 international does not have a preferred foot as he is able to use both effectively, which means that Rodgers could deploy him on the right or the left of a central defensive pairing.
He could turn out to be the long-term heir to Carl Starfelt on the left side as the Warsaw enforcer is six years younger than the Swedish defender and would come in as a player with potential.
This means that Nawrocki has far more time on his hand to develop in order to be a fantastic player for Celtic for many more years to come, whereas the 28-year-old is already in the peak years of his career and may not have much more growth left to go through.
The Polish titan caught the eye with his performances in the Ekstraklasa last season. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 across 25 matches and made 2.5 tackles and interceptions combined per game, which was more than any current Hoops central defender managed across the Scottish Premiership campaign.
Nawrocki also showcased his ability to deliver excellent displays in Europe with his 2021/22 outings for Legia in the Europa League. The 6 foot 1 tank averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.20 across four clashes and made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per appearance, whilst he also won an outstanding 78% of his duels.
These statistics suggest that the potential is there for the talented youngster to be a dominant, due to his phenomenal success rate in his individual battles, colossus at the back for Celtic if Rodgers is able to help him translate that form into regular performances at Premiership level.
Starfelt, who has never averaged a Sofascore rating higher than 7.00 in any European competition, won 67% of his league duels for the Bhoys last term but was too prone to mistakes.
The Sweden international made three errors leading to shots or goals for the opposition and conceded two penalties across 28 Premiership games. Meanwhile, Nawrocki did not give away a single penalty and only made one mistake leading to a shot or goal for the other team in his 25 league matches for Legia
Therefore, the £4m-rated brute could be a dream long-term heir to Starfelt if he can develop to a point where his dominant Europa League form becomes a consistent feature of his play, whilst also being a reliable defender who does not make blunders on a regular basis.
