Celtic Join The Race For In-demand Championship Striker: Why Rodgers Should Go All Out

Abel Hernandez’s contract with Hull City is set to expire this summer and it is understood that he is set to leave the club after that. His availability in the summer has alerted a number of clubs and as per one of the latest reports by Birmingham Mail, the Uruguayan international has fallen on the radar of Scottish giants, Celtic.

Apart from the Celts, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United are also monitoring the situation closely, which implies that it will not be easy for the Scottish giants to make him sign on the dotted line. However, considering Celtic’s domestic superiority as well as the scope of plying his trade in the Champions League might appeal to Hernandez.

The striker emerged through the youth ranks of Penarol and Central Espanol and went on to represent the senior side of the latter. After a brief spell with Penarol, he was lured to the ranks of Palermo and he made a fine name for himself during his time there. In the summer transfer window of 2014, he was signed by Hull City for a club record £10million transfer fee.

Hernandez suffered a serious back injury back in August, which kept him in the sidelines until March. His injury certainly took a toll on him. Nonetheless, during the Championship season which recently ended for Hull, he plundered 8 goals and managed to register 1 assist in 10 league appearances, which is impressive and no wonder he has fallen on the radar of Brendan Rodgers, who is willing to thrash out a three-year contract for him.

A strong and commanding centre-forward, the 27-year-old has exceptional predatory skills and has the requisite pace in his boots to worry the opposition back line. His movements on and off the ball are eye-catching and there is no denying that he is a clinical goal-getter. Besides, he has plenty of experience under his belt and is quite commendable in the air.

The Bhoys are likely to lose Moussa Dembele in the summer as some of the top clubs across Europe are hovering over him. It will make a lot of sense if Celtic strive to get Hernandez irrespective of whether Dembele leaves or not as the former will introduce more competition for a place in Rodgers’ starting line-up and bring some necessary freshness to the club next season who will once again renew their efforts to leave a mark in Europe.

Statistics Credits: WhoScored