Olivier Kapo gamble based on need for experience insists Celtic boss

CELTIC manager Neil Lennon has admitted to taking a risk by signing Olivier Kapo but is hopeful it will pay off by providing his squad with the level of experience he feels it currently lacks.

• Olivier Kapo trains with his new Celtic team-mates at Lennoxtown, as Neil Lennon explained yesterday he had been signed to add experience to the squad Picture: SNS

Former French international winger Kapo has joined Celtic on an 18-month contract, subject to review by Lennon in January. The 30-year-old's career has stagnated in recent years, culminating in his release by Wigan during the summer.

Having seen most of his attempts to sign older, more established top flight players fail during the summer, Lennon was prepared to take a chance on Kapo proving capable of rejuvenating himself at Celtic.

"It's a bit of a gamble, it might not work," said Lennon. "But we feel it's a gamble worth taking. We've got him on a short term contract and it's up to him now. He hasn't played a lot of football in the last year or so but he's got a decent pedigree. We'll have a look at his fitness levels and qualities to see if he can add something to the squad. We'll see how hungry he is.

"During the summer, Daniel Majstorovic was really the only experienced player we were able to bring in. We did try and get others. The relative average age of the squad is quite young and that is an area we would like to improve. Olivier certainly has that kind of experience.

"We are just looking to improve the squad and if there is an opportunity there where Olivier can come in for nothing, then it would be remiss of us not to take that opportunity. It's up to us to try and get the best out of him now and for him to respond in the right way. It's an opportunity for him to progress his career again.

"He will give us something a bit different if he shows the qualities we think he has. He's 6ft 1in, has decent pace and is a left-sided midfielder or winger, which is something we haven't got at the moment. He might give us a bit of balance on the left hand side. He can play through the middle as well."

Lennon says he is taking a leaf out of his mentor Martin O'Neill's book by signing Kapo, having seen his former manager at Leicester City and Celtic successfully revive the careers of players who had lost their way.

"Sometimes you can unearth a wee gem here or there that way," added Lennon. "Martin dug out a couple of gems now and then. He brought Tony Cottee back from Malaysia and he ended up as our top scorer at Leicester in the Premier League for two seasons. He did the same with Stan Collymore as well, to the extent that Stan would have played for England again if he hadn't broken his leg. I'm not saying Olly is as good as Stan was, but he has good attributes. You don't lose that quality, it's just about the mentality and restoring confidence."

Lennon welcomed another new addition to his squad for training at Lennoxtown yesterday, delighting the press photographers as Henrik Larsson paid a visit to his old club. The 39-year-old Swede, now manager of Landskrona in his homeland, is back in town this weekend for a tribute dinner being held for his former Celtic strike partner Chris Sutton.

"It was fantastic to see him out on a training pitch again," smiled Lennon, "and he certainly added to the atmosphere of the session. I told all of the players that Henrik is their marker. That's where they should all aspire to be one day. With hard work, dedication and talent you can get to the very top. I'm glad he came in today and hopefully it will inspire and motivate the players a bit." Celtic can go two points clear at the top of the SPL this afternoon if they defeat Aberdeen at Parkhead, a circumstance Lennon did not anticipate so soon after losing the Old Firm match two weeks ago.

"It was a nice surprise when Rangers only drew against Inverness last week," he said, "because I didn't see that one coming. It gave us a bit of a gee up but we can't be complacent. We have to take advantage of it. If we beat Aberdeen, then we will be top of the league. For whatever period of time that is, it's an incentive for the players.

"I think we are improving. The players were hurt after the Old Firm game, because they know they can do better than that, but we are still in the very early stages of trying to build this team."

Shaun Maloney is expected to return to the Celtic line-up today, while Lennon is optimistic Georgios Samaras and Mark Wilson will both recover from minor knocks in time.

Paul Hartley is expected to recover from illness in time to play for Aberdeen against his former club. Hartley missed training on Wednesday with flu-like symptoms but trained yesterday.

Andy Considine (knee) and Nikola Vujadinovic (hamstring) are still struggling and Peter Pawlett (broken toe) and long-term casualty Fraser Fyvie are out.