Rodgers wants to seal Celtic deal for Carter-Vickers 2.0

Celtic have under two months left in the summer transfer window to get any deals that they want to complete over the line before it slams shut.

The Hoops are yet to make a first-team addition to their squad since the end of the 2023/24 campaign but have been linked with a number of players in recent weeks.

Brendan Rodgers might not be desperate to make wholesale changes to his group, however, after they won the Scottish Premiership title and the SFA Cup in his first season back in charge at Parkhead.

A new goalkeeper appears to be a high priority for the Scottish giants, though, after Joe Hart officially retired at the end of May, after three seasons in Glasgow.

Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka and Croatia star Dominik Livakovic have both been linked with transfers to Paradise to take the gloves from the former England international.

However, a shot-stopper is not the only profile of player the Premiership champions are looking to add to the group, as they are reportedly keen on a deal to sign a new central defender to bolster their ranks at the back this summer.

Celtic make approach for recently-relegated star

According to the Daily Record, the Hoops have made an approach to English Championship side Burnley in an attempt to sign centre-back Dara O’Shea.

The report claims that Rodgers wants to seal a summer swoop for the Republic of Ireland international to compete for a starting spot in his defence.

It states that the Northern Irish head coach wants more ‘quality’ in his squad to compete in the Champions League next season, after his side were knocked out in the group stages last term, and O’Shea has emerged as someone who could help them in Europe.

However, this will not be an easy deal for the Bhoys to complete as the outlet adds that the Clarets would demand a ‘major’ bid to consider cashing in on the star defender they signed from West Bromwich Albion for £7m last summer.

The report also reveals that a decision on whether or not they would be prepared to sell him to Celtic is not likely to be made until they have a new manager in place.

Vincent Kompany completed a move to Bayern Munich, despite being relegated from the Premier League, earlier this summer and Burnley are yet to confirm his replacement, which means that there is no boss in place to make a decision on O’Shea’s immediate future.

If Celtic can get a deal over the line for the £20k-per-week titan eventually, though, then he could come in as the club’s next version of Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Cameron Carter-Vickers’ Celtic career in numbers

The Hoops signed the USA international on a permanent deal in the summer of 2022 for a reported fee of £6m plus add-ons that could take it beyond that.

That came after the central defender had spent the 2021/22 campaign on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and caught the eye in Ange Postecoglou’s first season in charge.

Celtic kept a whopping 17 clean sheets in his 33 appearances in the Premiership that term, which is slightly more than one every other match on average.

He showcased his dominant defensive work at the back for the Scottish giants with a duel success rate of 68%, as opposition forwards found it difficult to get the better of him in physical contests.

As you can see in the table above, Carter-Vickers continued his dominance for the Hoops across the next two seasons after joining on a permanent basis, under Postecoglou and then Rodgers last term.

His fantastic performances in the Premiership have not gone unnoticed in the Premier League as he has reportedly attracted interest from down south.

HITC reported that month that West Ham United, Fulham, and Ipswich Town are all keen on a potential deal to sign the American titan before the end of the window.

It now remains to be seen whether any of them are prepared to come in with an official offer for his services or how much the Hoops would demand for him, however.

O’Shea could now be brought in as Carter-Vickers 2.0 as either competition for the USA international or a possible replacement, should he move on.

Why Celtic should sign Dara O’Shea

Firstly, the right-footed defender only turned 25 in March and this means that he is heading towards the peak years of his career and has plenty of time left ahead of him.

He is at the perfect age in the sense that there is still many, many, years left in the tank but the Irishman has also racked up plenty of senior experience and is not a young player who would be coming in with it all to prove.

Burnley were relegated from the Premier League last season and Celtic supporters may be wary about signing a player off the back of such a disappointment.

However, O’Shea’s individual performances showed plenty of promise as he won 60% of his duels and 65% of his aerial battles across 33 starts in the division.

Despite Burnley’s relegation, the Irish colossus also ranked within the top 37% of his positional peers in the league for progressive passes per 90 (3.80) and the top 29% for progressive carries per 90 (1.00), which shows that he was above average by Premier League standards at progressing the ball out from the back.

As you can see in the table above, O’Shea was also a dominant force at the back for West Brom in the 2022/23 Championship campaign before his move to Turf Moor.

The 25-year-old star, who was once described as a “leader” by Kompany, ranked within the top 19% of defenders in the division for progressive passes per 90 (3.84) that term, which shows that he has consistently been an impressive passer of the ball in recent seasons.

Therefore, O’Shea could come in as Carter-Vickers 2.0 as another centre-back from an English club with the potential to be a dominant and classy operator for the Hoops moving forward.