Celtic link with Shon Weissman should be a cause for concern for fans

Wolfsberger striker has enjoyed excellent season but his arrival would mean a very high-profile exit

Shon Weissman has enjoyed an excellent season with Wolfsberger AC and scored in the Europa League against AS Roma. Picture: Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

In recent times, Celtic fans have feasted on speculation linking them with players who have apparently been on the radar of such as Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

Yet, there would have been a collective apprehension over reports that the club have put £3 million Israeli striker Shon Weissman on their list of possible purchases.

That is because the Wolfsberger AC forward, who has scored 29 goals in 30 games in his first season for the Austrian top-flight club, would only be pursued if Odsonne Edouard leaves in the summer.

Celtic already have a four-strong striking contingent in Edouard, Leigh Griffiths, Vakoun Bayo and Patryk Klimala. Considering it was only in January that they parted with almost £4m to acquire the 21-year-old Klimala from his native Poland, there is no prospect of them firming up their interest in Weissman, who has four caps for his country, unless Edouard is prised away.

Both Arsenal and Spurs are believed to be serious about bidding for the jewel in Celtic’s crown, who has also scored 29 goals at club level in the past season. As with Kieran Tierney’s £25m move to Arsenal last year, if their valuation is met, Celtic will have to accept Edouard leaving.

As the club prepares for a historic season in which they will be chasing a record tenth straight title, the loss of the 22-year-old would open up a void they would struggle to fill.

While a resurgent Griffiths can be relied upon to score goals, he could not be expected to do this on his own.

Meanwhile, Bayo and Klimala both remain entirely unproven. Although Weissman has only blossomed in the past year, scoring against Roma and Borussia Monchengladbach in the Europa League, he showed glimpses of his finishing power in his homeland, enjoying a one-in-two goal ratio in loan spells with Maccabi Netanya and Ironi Kiryat Shmona after struggling to make the breakthrough with Maccabi Haifa.

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