What Celtic are getting in loan signing Shane Duffy

On loan Brighton defender an ‘absolute unit’

Shane Duffy celebrates scoring for the Republic of Ireland against Denmark in a Euro 2020 qualifier in Copenhagen. Picture: PA

In a nutshell, Neil Lennon will look for Shane Duffy to be to his Celtic team what Bobo Balde was to mentor Martin O’Neill’s Parkhead side.

Consider the descriptions of the 6ft 4in “absolute unit” since the champions’ interest in the Republic of Ireland centre-back became public: “uncompromising” “no-nonsense”, “aggressive”, “old-fashioned”, a “brick wall”.

Christopher Jullien and Kristoffer Ajer may be 6ft 5in – just like Balde – but such terms would never trip off the tongue when describing either of the current Celtic first-choices at the heart of the club’s backline.

For all their physical stature, this pair are urbane defenders, adept at playing out from the back, but considered susceptible to being roughed up by the battering ram, target-man type. Brighton loanee Duffy is the antithesis. He is an unabashed artisan. The 28-year-old’s distribution is not a strong suit – precisely why he dropped down the pecking order under Graham Potter at Brighton – but when it comes to putting his body on the line in order to protect his goal, he flies into tackles with a zeal and steel that isn’t really in keeping with the make-up of the current defensive options at Celtic.

Yet these are precisely the sort of traits that made Balde such a menacing and valuable competitor.

In this respect, the tweet sent to Duffy by former Republic of Ireland team-mate David Meyler as it became apparent the move to his boyhood club was going to become reality, can be considered telling. “Congrats @shaneduffy can’t wait to watch you head balls 70 yards for @CelticFC Green heart.”

There is another Duffy/Balde parallel that might be considered instructive beyond their take-no-prisoners approach to heading the ball in both boxes. The success of the 3-5-2 formation that was O’Neill’s default as the club reached the Uefa Cup final in 2003 owed much to the fearsome French-born Guinean being the bedrock of a backline trio in which he was flanked by Joos Valgaeren and Johan Mjallby. Both were big men in height terms, but not true bruisers a la Balde.

The addition of 33-times capped Duffy should allow for Lennon to revert to that system, which proved so successful for him in the early months of 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

With the summer departure of Jozo Simunovic, the Celtic manager has seemed disinclined to play three at the back this season. This option was limited too by a paucity of fit centre-forwards. Duffy, who captained his country last time, was described yesterday as a “warrior” by Lennon. It is a description that fits Balde like a glove. The Derry-born defender’s recruitment can surely then be considered a harbinger for the return of a land of the giants backline at Celtic as operated under O’Neill.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director