Despite winning the game, Celtic central defender Liam Scales was trending for the wrong reasons among supporters after the clash with Hibernian at Easter Road.
The Ireland international produced a sloppy pass in the build-up to Hibernian’s equaliser in the game, and he lost 100% (5/5) of his duels throughout the game.
Scales failed to deal with the physicality of Owen Elding, losing all four of his aerial duels, but was fortunate that his side were able to go and score the winning goal through Kelechi Iheanacho.
The 27-year-old central defender has struggled with the physicality of the Scottish Premiership at times this season, only winning 50% of his ground duels over 34 appearances.
On top of his struggles in duels, the Irishman has given away two penalties and been booked ten times for the Hoops in the league in the 2025/26 campaign.
Celtic hold talks to sign Championship central defender
The left-footed defender’s form in the Premiership this season does not seem to have gone unnoticed behind the scenes at Parkhead, as they are looking to strengthen the squad in his position.
With the off-season on the horizon, the Scottish giants are reportedly making moves to sign a star who could come in as an upgrade on Scales for the manager who eventually replaces Martin O’Neill this summer.
According to CeltsAreHere, Celtic are interested in a deal to sign West Bromwich Albion central defender George Campbell in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Hoops have already held talks over a potential move to bring the USA international to Parkhead, which would make him the club’s third American centre-back alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty.
It adds that a bid of around £2.5m would be enough to convince the Baggies to accept an offer and move on from a player they only signed in the previous summer transfer window.
CeltsAreHere adds, though, that there are other clubs in the English Championship and in the Bundesliga who are eyeing up moves for Campbell, which suggests that there could be significant competition for his signature.
How George Campbell would be an upgrade on Liam Scales for Celtic
If the Hoops can beat off competition from England and Germany to land the West Brom star, Campbell could arrive at Parkhead as an upgrade on Scales because of his defensive strength and reliability.
The 24-year-old star, who can play as a right-back or as a centre-back on either side, could come in to play on the right next to Trusty or on the left next to Carter-Vickers, leaving Scales as a back-up option next season.
Campbell won 59% of his ground duels across 39 appearances in the Championship for West Brom, who only lost one of their last 11 matches in the division before the end of their season last weekend.
|
25/26 |
Campbell (Championship) |
Scales (Premiership) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
39 |
34 |
|
Goals |
4 |
0 |
|
Tackles per game |
1.6 |
0.9 |
|
Interceptions per game |
0.6 |
1.0 |
|
Ground duels won per game |
2.8 |
1.4 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
59% |
50% |
|
Fouls per game |
0.8 |
1.1 |
|
Penalties conceded |
0 |
2 |
The American defender trumps Scales’ defensive statistics in a number of metrics, and looks like he would arrive at Parkhead as a much stronger defender in ground duels, whilst making fewer errors.
Campbell also showed his prowess at the other end of the pitch with four goals for the Baggies, including a stunning long-range strike against Sheffield United earlier this year.
Scales, meanwhile, has only scored three Premiership goals in 94 appearances for Celtic since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, which suggests that the Baggies star would offer a much greater goal threat from a centre-back position.
The Hoops have not been as effective as their peers at scoring from set plays this season. Rangers have scored 19 and Hearts have scored 20 from set-piece situations, whilst Celtic have only scored nine.
Campbell replacing Scales in the starting line-up next season could help them in that respect, as he has shown that he can carry a big threat from open play and from set-pieces as a goalscoring defender.
Therefore, the £2.5m star could be a fantastic signing for the Scottish giants because he could improve the team offensively and defensively as an upgrade on Scales, by being more dominant in his duels and more effective in the opposition’s box.
As long as O’Neill’s successor, once they are confirmed, is happy to add Campbell to their squad, Celtic should get this deal done in the summer window.
After Hibernian: £2m Celtic flop in danger of being Balikwisha 2.0
Celtic defeated Hibs but it wasn’t all positive for the Hoops.