This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
Celtic confirmed yet another under-the-radar signing on Monday, but what exactly should fans expect from Jeremie Frimpong?
What’s the story?
In between the high-profile comings and goings like Christopher Jullien and Kieran Tierney, the Hoops have been snapping up young talent all over Britain.
Jonathan Afolabi signed from Southampton, Luca Connell arrived from Bolton and Tobi Oluwayemi was brought in from Tottenham.
Frimpong became the latest teenage talent to seal a switch to Parkhead this week, and the young full-back could well be a very valuable asset for the Bhoys over the coming years due to one key trait.
Versatility
Celtic need all the bodies they can get. The club have won eight league titles in a row and three consecutive domestic trebles, while they are desperate to make a real impact in Europe as well.
They have been consistently fighting on three, possibly four, fronts for quite some time now, and will surely have no plans to stop in the future.
And that’s where Frimpong can come in handy. Described by Manchester City’s club website as “a truly modern full back who can play on both sides of the pitch,” the 18 year-old’s versatility will boost Neil Lennon’s defensive depth.
The Citizens’ glowing praise of their former charge continues: “Jeremie is comfortable in attack and defence and is always willing to overlap his winger and provide an attacking outlet.”
The stats back up their claim too – the teenager has played 36 times at right-back, 18 at left-back, 5 on the right side of midfield and even once at centre-back, per Transfermarkt, amassing three goals and seven assists along the way.
In a summer in which the Hoops saw eight defenders depart and only five arrive on a permanent basis, not including Frimpong, adding a player who can be trusted to supply defensive solidity and attacking impetus from multiple positions is a huge boost for a squad hoping to challenge for four trophies.
Whether or not he fulfils this obvious potential is of course yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure, Frimpong’s versatility will make life an awful lot easier as Lennon tries to navigate an inevitably hectic schedule over the coming years.
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