At some point in the not-too-distant future, Celtic will have to find a long-term replacement for captain Callum McGregor in the middle of the park.
The former Scotland international turns 33 at the end of this season, and the Hoops will need to have contingencies in place to ensure that they have a natural successor to him already in the building.
McGregor has started 16 of his 17 appearances in the Scottish Premiership this season, per Sofascore, and Wilfried Nancy does not have a natural alternative to him in his position.
Why Celtic need a natural alternative to Callum McGregor
The Scottish giants do not have another central midfielder who can sit in front of the back four and keep things simple, whilst also mopping up defensively and winning duels at an efficient rate.
McGregor, who has scored two goals in the league, has made 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game and won 56% of his duels in the top-flight, per Sofascore, which shows that he is a reliable presence defensively in midfield.
Arne Engels, Reo Hatate, and Benjamin Nygren, meanwhile, are all attack-minded midfielders who are not particularly reliable out of possession, as Engels and Hatate have won less than 50% of their duels, and Nygren has won just 51% of his, per Sofascore.
Paulo Bernardo has won 58% of his duels in the league, to his credit, but the Portuguese midfielder has also only won 1.0 tackles and interceptions per game, and is yet to deliver a goal or an assist for the side in five appearances.
However, Celtic have been linked with interest in a central midfielder who could finally be the long-term replacement for McGregor ahead of the January transfer window.
The midfielder Celtic should sign to replace Callum McGregor
Whilst there is no immediate need to replace the skipper in the short term, the Hoops should sign his eventual successor in January to ensure that they have time to learn from him before taking over the role in the future.
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Last month, The Herald reported that the Scottish Premiership champions are considering an offer to sign Kilmarnock central midfielder David Watson in January.
The Scotland U21 international’s contract at Killie is due to expire at the end of the 2025/26 campaign, which has left the Hoops weighing up an approach to sign him for a cut-price fee next month.
Watson’s impressive performances in the Premiership for Kilmarnock so far this season suggest that he could be a great addition to Nancy’s squad for the second half of the season and beyond, as an alternative to McGregor in the short term and as his long-term successor.
The 20-year-old star, who is 12 years younger than the Celtic captain, has given the club a glimpse of his talent with a headed goal against them back in September, in what turned out to be a 2-1 win for the Hoops, thanks to a last-gasp Kelechi Iheanacho penalty.
Watson, described as a “box-crashing” star by scout Kai Watson, has scored three goals and provided one assist in 17 matches in the league, per Sofascore, whilst McGregor has scored two goals and assisted one in 17 outings for the Bhoys.
25/26 Premiership
McGregor
Watson
Appearances
17
17
Goals
2
3
Assists
1
1
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.7
2.9
Ground duels won per game
2.6
4.7
Aerial duels won per game
0.5
0.9
Ground duel success rate
56%
51%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Scotland youth international already has the edge over McGregor in several defensive metrics, which suggests that he is the combative and defensive profile that Nancy currently lacks in his squad.
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Given the attacking nature of the likes of Hatate, Nygren, and Engels, signing Watson to anchor the midfield as an alternative and future replacement for McGregor could make a lot of sense.
Having the Scottish star sitting at the base of the midfield, breaking up play and passing it on to the attacking players, could be exactly what they need when the captain’s powers finally wane, and he moves on from being a guaranteed starter, whenever that may be.
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