Stats Reveal Why Celtic Are Targeting £3M Defender

Clubs like Celtic have to work in transfer windows with sporting intelligence. Perhaps the Scottish Premiership's UEFA ranking is a negative point, but the Glasgow giants must take advantage of its constant participation in the Champions League or Europa League.

Considering this, it is always a good idea to look towards clubs where they don't regularly have the opportunity to participate in European competitions.

Recently, the Hoops were linked with a defender from Famalicão in the Portuguese league. We're speaking specifically about Justin de Haas, a 25-year-old Dutch center-back.

And to understand the interest of Brendan Rodgers' club in the versatile defender, we only need to look at the statistics.

Stats reveal why Celtic are targeting £3M defender

According to The Herald, Celtic are considering a £3 million move for De Haas this summer. He is attracting interest from many European teams after a strong season in Portugal.

There are suggestions that the player is the perfect option for the team, as he was a starter for Famalicão last season, a team with which he scored two goals, accumulated 2,466 minutes, and obtained an overall rating of 7.05, per FotMob.

Additionally, the statistics are in his favor. According to analyst Stewart Ross, De Haas has proven to be among the top 10% of players in Portugal's first division for interceptions.

Added to that, the Dutchman has been praised by fans and pundits for excelling in defensive duels and progressive passes, something Celtic coach Brendan Rodgers highly values.

The defender is also a natural left-footer, which is what Celtic want, so his incorporation would bring balance to the defensive line if paired with Cameron Carter-Vickers.

For the center-back, a jump from a mid-table team in Portugal to a historic giant like Celtic would help him have greater sporting aspirations, both individual and collective.