Cheick Souare's 64.3% and 29.3 stats show why Celtic must accelerate talks
Cheick Souare has emerged onto Celtic's radar and his Viktoria Plzen stats prove that he could be a stellar addition to Martin O'Neill's squad.
O'Neill remains keen to add more quality and depth to his squad in the coming weeks after Celtic's strong start to the new season.
The Hoops have invested the £22million garnered from Arne Engels' sale into some new signings, but a new left winger is still on the agenda.
They have reportedly joined the race to sign Plzen star Souare, with the Czech club set to demand around £3m for his services.
Souare, 23, is a versatile midfielder who can play in the middle and on the left flank, as well as left-back.
His outstandingly consistent statistics from last season show that the Hoops would be wrong not to push to agree a deal with Plzen before the window closes.
Cheick Souare would be a shrewd addition to Celtic's ranks
French youth international Souare came through Marseille's academy but only featured once for their senior side before moving to Vyskov in 2023 and then Plzen in 2024.
He struggled with injuries in his first full season at the club, but impressed last season with four goals and five assists in 42 games across all competitions.
Souare ranked highly in the majority of statistics when compared to other midfielders in the Czech top flight last term.
He was in the 92nd percentile for successful dribble percentage (64.3), 88th percentile for least times dribbled past per 90 (0.24) and 87th percentile for successful passes per 90 (29.3).
Souare was in the top 30 per cent of all midfielders for every single passing stat, as per Fotmob, while he also won 51.5 per cent of ground duels (84th percentile) and was only dispossessed 13 times in 1851 minutes on the pitch.
Andre Villas-Boas has praised Souare in the past
Sources have revealed to Football Insider that Celtic will find it difficult to sign Ermic Mahmic this summer, with Souare seemingly seen as an alternative due to his versatility in midfield and out wide.
The 23-year-old has real pedigree from his time coming through Marseille's academy, as he was promoted to the first team by former Chelsea boss Villas-Boas in 2021.
OM academy director Nasser Larguet offered insight into Villas-Boas' thoughts on Souare in a 2020 interview, saying: “He’s brimming with talent. He’s very good on his left foot. When we put him through his paces in training with Andre Villas-Boas, his first reaction was to say that he had a very good left foot. He’s a player we can count on for the future.”