Celtic to face new weapon vs Hearts as deal set for completion with medical booked in
Celtic look set to line up against a new addition to the Hearts squad when they travel to Tynecastle on Sunday afternoon.
The Premiership’s top two sides are set to go head to head in Edinburgh this weekend, with the Bhoys desperately trying to eat into the six-point gap to the leaders at the top of the table.
Celtic notched a valuable Europa League point with a 2-2 draw away at Bologna on Thursday night, and their attention will have quickly turned towards Hearts in the aftermath of that trip to Italy.
Martin O’Neill and his staff will already be preparing the team for their latest meeting with the table-toppers, but they look set to have another new face to contend with for the weekend’s big game.
Marc Leonard will be able to play for Hearts vs Celtic
Hearts are without top scorer Lawrence Shankland for Sunday’s game, as the striker is facing a lengthy period on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury.
That is undoubtedly good news for Celtic, but it isn’t all positive for the Bhoys ahead of their latest test, as Hearts are extremely likely to have a new player within their ranks for the encounter.
The Jam Tarts have been working on the signing of Birmingham City midfielder Marc Leonard on a loan deal until the end of the season, with Football Insider now revealing that Leonard is set to undergo a medical on Friday.
Sky Sports have added via their Scottish Premiership transfer centre that Leonard’s move north of the border is also “expected” to be completed on Friday, which would make him eligible to feature against Celtic at the weekend.
Hearts’ swift striker agreement to prompt anger at Parkhead
Hearts announced that they had signed Rogers Mato within minutes of news of Shankland’s injury breaking, in a move that would have angered many at Celtic Park.
The Bhoys have been desperately trying to add to their attacking options so far in January, but had toiled away to no avail prior to their confirmation of Tomas Cvancara’s arrival.
Mato was due to join Hearts in the summer after signing a pre-contract agreement, but the ease with which they moved to bring that deal forward in order to cover for Shankland will have surely frustrated O’Neill and Co.
They have had to work incredibly hard to find a suitable striker addition, eating up plenty of time in the process, while their title rivals have been able to easily go out and snap up a replacement almost immediately.