Bhoys eye up Lass
By KENNY MacDONALD
Published: 8 hrs ago
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CELTIC are closing in on Tunisian hitman Lassad as the final piece of Neil Lennon’s Champions League jigsaw.
The striker, available for free after leaving Deportivo La Coruna, will have fitness tests at the club today.
Celts hope to register him before tomorrow’s Champions League squad deadline.
Lennon came in from yesterday’s draw with Hibs to discover Motherwell’s Euro conquerors Levante had made a last-ditch effort to snap up Lassad.
But Lenny is sure he’ll be a Celt and said: “We’re hoping that Lassad will be done and dusted very soon.
“I know there was talk of him going to Levante, but that was going on while our game was going on.
“I’ve had clarification from his advisers that he will be in Glasgow over the weekend.
“We hope to get it done by Monday.
“We just need him in to do a medical and have a couple of days fitness work because he hasn’t had a club since the end of the season.”
Lassad, 26, should now join deadline day signings Efe Ambrose, Miku Fedor and Lubos Kamenar in Lennon’s squad.
The hitman was Deportivo’s top scorer as they romped to the Spanish Second Division title last season.
Lennon added: “He’s 6ft 2in, he leads the line very well, he can play inside and outside the box, and he also heads the ball very well.
“I’ve liked him for a wee while.
“I know most of the goals he’s scored have been at the second level of Spanish football, but that’s still a really good standard.
“He’ll bring another dimension to the way we want to play.”
Lennon — who saw Hibs pair Tim Clancy and Paul Cairney cancel out Mikael Lustig’s opener and an own goal from James McPake — also rubbished reports that he had made deadline-day bids to bring strike pair Garry O’Connor and Michael Owen to Celtic.
But he enthused about new boys Miku and stopper Ambrose.
He said: “The first time I saw Ambrose I wanted to get him.
“He’s really strong in the Wanyama mould.
“He covers the ground very quickly, technically he’s good, and he’s strong in the air.
“For me he ticks all the boxes.
“He’s a hungry boy as well — you can see what it means to him to be here.
“Miku is one we’ve liked but didn’t think we could get. But his name came up three or four days ago. He has a good goal-scoring record for a mid-range La Liga team.
“He was rumoured to be going to other clubs and that certainly doesn’t surprise me.
“I’m surprised but delighted we’ve got him because we feel that it’s good business. It’s a loan with an option to buy.
“He looks to be a bright, intelligent guy, a family man and he’s also at the age that we are looking for.
“He’s powerful, decent in the air and a good finisher.
“With Bangura, Murphy and Rasmussen leaving the club we needed to beef up that position.
“
With Anthony Stokes out for ten weeks we were pretty short. :-(
“Getting the two in is good business for us.”
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