Journalist Kieran Devlin of The Athletic spoke on The Celtic Huddle podcast regarding all things Celtic following the departure of manager Neil Lennon.
Delvin commented on the loan signing of Shane Duffy and how he believes the Republic of Ireland international has been the biggest let-down of the season.
Duffy joined the Bhoys on loan last summer from Brighton & Hove Albion, but the 29-year-old has failed to impress, with Celtic’s defence proving shaky at times this season.
He said: “He’s a guy, given the loan fee for him and that Celtic are reportedly paying his wages, that’s almost £4m they’ve spent on a guy they don’t technically own.
“And when you look at the type of player Duffy is and the type of football that Celtic normally play, where they’re normally on the front foot, they have most possession, they like to play with a high line, so their players generally need to be quite athletic, quite fit, fast and good on the ball – Shane Duffy is like an old-school, 18-yard-box defender, that’s his game, that’s what he’s good at and you could argue he has not been good at that this season.
“It just seems to be a very strange move.”
The 29-year-old has made 18 appearances for Celtic in the league this season, however, Delvin insists the centre-back has not provided a satisfactory return for the money Celtic have paid to bring him up to Glasgow from the south coast of England.
Has Shane Duffy been a let down?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Kieran Delvin’s comments on Shane Duffy…
When Celtic brought in an experienced Premier League centre-back, they may not have anticipated the season they have had so far. A large sum of money has been invested in Duffy and although the centre-back has netted three times this season, Celtic’s defensive frailties have proven a huge issue this season, so it is easy to see why Devlin believes the move to be a failure.