Celtic favourites to snap-up Hearts goal machine
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When asked for their tip for Ladbrokes Premiership top-scorer earlier this season the top flight’s captains were united that Leigh Griffiths, Nadir Ciftci and Adam Rooney would battle it out.
However, while it’s still early days and Celtic’s new arrival is yet to feature, another striker has added his name to the list with an explosive start to the new campaign.
Hearts’ Juan Manuel Delgado Lloria – better known as Juanma – has raced to the top of the charts with three goals from his opening two games for the Jambos.
Having plied his trade in the Greek top flight for the past two seasons after a start in the lower reaches of the Spanish game few had anticipated the 24-year-old taking to life in Scotland with such ease.
Indeed the Valencia-born hitman has caught Ladbrokes traders napping, with odds on him topping the goal chart at the end of the season halving from 14/1 to just 7/1 on the back of his electrifying start.
And while speculation of a move elsewhere may seem a little premature, Celtic have been chalked up as favourite to be the Spaniard’s next club.
The Ladbrokes Premiership leaders are priced at just 2/1 to snaffle the forward from the Jam Tarts, while fellow SPFL big hitters Aberdeen and Dundee United are priced at 4/1 respectively.
All three clubs look likely to have to bide their time before any move will materialise, however, with odds of 10/3 available on a January move anywhere, while it’s 1/5 he stays put during the winter window.
Should Hearts decide to cash-in on their man’s new-found fame and form, the list of suitors isn’t limited to those north of the border, with a trio of Premier League clubs also in the mix.
Stoke, thanks to Mark Hughes’ links with Barcelona, are steadily growing a Spanish contingent of their own and can be backed at 12/1 to be Juanma’s next club.
Elsewhere, Everton and Watford, managed by Spanish pair Roberto Martinez and Quique Flores, are priced at 12/1 and 14/1 respectively to take Juanma to the Premier League.
One thing is for sure though – If the striker continues in his rich vein of form Jam Tarts fans will want to see him stay at Tynecastle for the long term and rightly so.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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