Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers enjoyed a relatively successful first season back in the dugout at Parkhead with a domestic double during the 2023/24 campaign.
The Northern Irish head coach won the Scottish Premiership title and the SFA Cup after returning to Glasgow for a second spell, following Ange Postecoglou's departure from the club.
He was immediately dealt with a difficult situation as three key players moved on from Paradise that summer; Jota, Aaron Mooy, and Carl Starfelt.
To replace Starfelt, Rodgers brought in three new central defenders during the summer transfer window but none of them hit the ground running.
Celtic's centre-back signings struggled
Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke, both right-footed enforcers, were snapped up from Legia Warsaw and Elfsborg on permanent deals, whilst Nat Phillips joined on loan from Liverpool for the first six months of the campaign.
Unfortunately, none of those players were able to make a particularly positive impression on the pitch for the Scottish giants, as they all failed to nail down a regular place in the team.
Appearances
7
10
6
Starts
4
7
3
Clean sheets
3
0
0
As you can see in the table above, the three signings combined for just 14 league starts in 38 matches in the Premiership, with 23 appearances combined in total.
Thankfully, Liam Scales came back from his loan from Aberdeen the previous season and made it into the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the 2023/24 campaign, but Celtic are yet to replace Starfelt with a reliable right-footed defender who can play on either side of the centre-back pairing.
Celtic could finally replace Carl Starfelt
The Hoops could finally land a dream replacement for the Swedish titan by securing a deal to sign reported transfer target Dara O'Shea from Burnley.
A right-footed defender, the Clarets battler is comfortable on either side of the defence, with six starts as a left-back in his career, and this would make him a like-for-like heir to Starfelt, rather than being restricted to the left – like Scales.
Appearances
33
28
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.3
2.1
Duel success rate
60%
67%
Error led to a shot or goal
2
3
Penalties committed
0
2
As you can see in the table above, O'Shea's performances in the Premier League last term suggest that he offers similar defensive qualities to the former Hoops star.
The Ireland international, who was described as a "leader" by former manager Vincent Kompany, can win the majority of his physical contests whilst making multiple tackles and interceptions to break up attacks each game.
O'Shea also ranked within the top 37% of centre-backs in the English top-flight for progressive passes (3.80) and progressive carries (1.00) per 90 respectively, which shows that he was above average at progressing play out from the back.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
This suggests that the Irish brute could suit playing in a dominant Celtic team that would allow him to showcase his ball-playing skills more frequently than in a Burnley side that suffered relegation.
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Therefore, the Bhoys could finally replace Starfelt by signing another versatile right-footed defender who could offer quality in and out of possession as a reliable option for Rodgers.