Celtic beat Wolves to seal first signing of Martin O’Neill’s return, deal ‘one step away’ from completion
Celtic are close to completing their first new signing since re-appointing Martin O’Neill on Monday.
Wilfried Nancy was sacked by Celtic on Monday, just over a month after he arrived at Parkhead from MLS side Columbus Crew.
The Frenchman had lost six of his opening eight games with the Bhoys, with Saturday’s Old Firm derby defeat to Rangers seen as the last straw.
O’Neill took charge of Celtic following the departure of Brendan Rodgers in October, and the Northern Irishman is now set to stand in for the rest of the season.
Despite fan clamour following his November stint, O’Neill has played down any talk of him taking the Celtic job permanently.
Celtic close in on Niko Sigur signing
Celtic signed Julian Araujo on loan from Bournemouth last week, in what was expected to be the first of several Nancy targets.
The Bhoys have also entered talks for Ivorian winger Jocelin Ta Bi, with that move expected to continue to be pursued despite Nancy’s departure.
It can only be assumed that the 48-year-old’s departure has changed things, however, with O’Neill favouring a very different style of football.
Celtic appear to still be willing to go through with the signings of targets that supersede even the head coach, however, with Izak Ante Sucic reporting on Wednesday that Niko Sigur is close to joining.
The Canada international is now “one step away” from joining the Bhoys from Croatian side Hajduk Split, despite the deal having been put on hold in light of Nancy’s departure.
Wolves were also interested in Sigur, but Celtic appear to have won the race for the 22-year-old.
What type of player is Sigur?
It will be interesting to see where O’Neill opts to deploy Sigur, because the player can feature in several different positions.
For Hadjuk Split this season, the 22-year-old has played both at the base of the midfield and at right-back.
Sigur has done a similar job for Jesse Marsch‘s Canada, although his appearances have been more exclusive to the right-back position.
Nonetheless, the Celtic target is confident on the ball and strong in the tackle. He should be a welcome addition to O’Neill’s options.