Every day that passes, it seems more likely that Charlie Wyke’s head will be turned by the allure of the Scottish Premier League, with runners-up Celtic favourites to sign him.
Supposedly, Celtic are hoping to offer the 28-year-old a long-term contract at Celtic Park as they look for a replacement for Odsonne Edouard up front. With the Frenchman set to join Leicester City, the Hoops will be desperate to bring a striker through the door. Given Wyke’s formidable goal scoring record last season, he looks like the perfect player to replicate Edouard’s form, at least to an outsider. A Celtic source has claimed that Wyke is “very keen” to join the Bhoys.
However, despite the burly striker’s 30 goals last season, Wyke still splits opinion on Wearside. It’s pretty clear to see that when Wyke doesn’t score, he offers little to the team as a whole, and considering his size the forward’s holdup play is average at best. With Ross Stewart impressing in limited minutes last season, many have claimed that the Scottish forward is a more than capable replacement. Disregarding last season, Wyke only scored 11 goals in his first two seasons on Wearside.
On the other hand, Wyke’s massive goal haul will be incredibly hard to replicate next season, with top strikers rarer than ever. Even if his overall play isn’t great, the pure numbers are what makes the difference between a mid-table team and a promotion contender. Many teams simply aren’t willing to let their star men leave, and have more often than not tied them down to longer contracts.
