‘No Analytic That You Can Produce’ To Back Celtic Signing Star Insists Ex-Striker | OneFootball

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Former striker Gordon Parks has delivered a scathing assessment of Celtic’s recruitment strategy, particularly questioning the January signing of Tomas Cvancara, insisting the striker’s underlying numbers offered little to suggest he was a suitable option for the Hoops.

The 25-year-old arrived at Parkhead in January from Borussia Monchengladbach, having registered three goal contributions in the first half of the season in Germany, joining on loan until the end of the campaign with an option to buy set at €8m.

The Czech international has since made 13 appearances for the Bhoys, returning two league goals and two assists, a tally that has failed to convince one former top-flight striker, who suggested the forward has yet to play a prominent role.

Celtic remain in the hunt to retain their Scottish Premiership crown, sitting third in the standings, three points off the top with five post-split fixtures remaining.

Over the weekend against St Mirren, Cvancara was handed a start by Martin O’Neill but was withdrawn on the hour mark after struggling to make an impact, echoing Scott Allan’s view that he lacks a clinical edge.

Parks questioned the data behind the recruitment, suggesting there was little in the 25-year-old’s previous goalscoring record to justify the move.

The 53-year-old also highlighted concerns over the player’s physical condition and ability to hold the ball up, pointing to issues evident from his debut against Hearts that have continued in recent outings.

He added that repeated breakdowns in possession against St Mirren limited his effectiveness, with the Bhoys moving away from using him as a focal point.

Parks said on PLZ Soccer (15:43): “There’s no analytic that you can produce that actually identifies him as a good option.

“His goalscoring ratio was appalling before he got recruited, there was nothing there.

“When he made his debut against Hearts, I immediately thought there was a problem there.

“He didn’t look fit.

“He didn’t look as if he was physical enough to hold the ball up, despite that he should be.

“His first touch at the weekend, continuously the ball broke down, and Celtic then stopped utilising him as a focal point.

“Identification and analytics are all about stats, and the stats cannot have suggested that he was a good option.”

The Parkhead side are currently covering a significant portion of the Czech striker’s wages during his spell in Glasgow, and following an underwhelming run, a return to Germany could be on the horizon.

With Kelechi Iheanacho now back from injury, Martin O’Neill may opt to utilise the Gladbach loanee in a more peripheral role over the final five league games.

Before the post-split fixtures begin, the Hoops head to Hampden on Sunday for a Scottish Cup semi-final against St Mirren, just one victory away from the final.

Cvancara, who has featured heavily in both matches en route to the semi-finals, will be hoping for another opportunity to stake his claim and win over the Celtic faithful.