Could Premier League veteran give Celtic a midfield boost?
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Ask football fans where Kevin Nolan should go after leaving West Ham and they’ll tell you a return to Bolton is his best option.
However, while the Trotters were the clear favourites with the bookies at 3/1 this morning, they have drifted to 5/1 and Cardiff are the new favourites after a raft of bets in Wales.
Despite this , Celtic have now also entered the market and odds of 4/1 to make them second favourites to land the veteran midfielder.
And while it would be something of a leftfield move to see Nolan make the trip north of the border it may not seem as farfetched as at first glance.
Granted the Bhoys have just signed the highly-rated Scott Allan in recent weeks and Scott Brown is still pulling the strings in the middle of the park, but after seeing the Hoops knocked out of the Champions League manager Ronny Deila will be taking no chances as far as the club’s Ladbrokes Premiership title tilt goes.
Add into the mix that Nolan is a boyhood Celtic fan and the free agent suddenly looks like a great fit at Parkhead.
With the added pressure of playing on Thursday nights in the Europa League after their 2-0 defeat to Malmo, Deila will need to shuffle his pack on a regular basis to make sure continental fatigue doesn’t hamper his side’s chances on the domestic front.
The Bhoys are of course the strong favourites to retain their crown but with the likes of Aberdeen and Hearts enjoying perfect starts to the season the margin for error appears to be decreasing.
Hearts legend Steven Pressley recently claimed that his old side can go all the way and end Scotland’s 32-year wait for a non-Old Firm champion and Deila will be all too aware of the increased competition.
So the attraction for Celtic is plain to see and without wishing to offend any of the other sides in the running, the choice between the English Championship or to bow out of football as a Parkhead favourite would seem a simple one for Nolan to make.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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