da pixbet： On Thursday Celtic announced their second signing of the summer with the acquisition of Ipswich Town midfielder Kundai Benyu.
da bet sport： The 19-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at National League side Aldershot Town, making 22 appearances before his contract expired at Portman Road.
Celtic, uniquely placed to capitalise on out-of-contract youth players in the English league, could be a fantastic learning environment for the youngster with Lennoxtown, Brendan Rodgers, his coaches and his teammates all likely to bring his game to new levels.
The rise from non-league football to a potential UEFA Champions League appearance in a short frame of time would certainly be a story
He isn’t a household name of course and Hoops fans may be wondering what their new man is all about.
Luckily, we have the answers and here are THREE things you need to know about Celtic’s latest signing…
He’ll be competing with the likes of Stuart Armstrong
Kundai Benyu is a central midfielder by trade and is a box-to-box man with a keen eye for goals and his teammates in the final third. On loan at Aldershot last term he scored five goals from the middle of the park, also creating three assists. In half a season that’s not a bad return at all, especially in a loan environment and points to a potential that could see him compete with the likes of Stuart Armstrong for a starting spot in the coming seasons.
At just 19 years of age he isn’t the finished article but we know Brendan Rodgers doesn’t make signings for the sake of it and after bringing on the game of teenagers Patrick Roberts, Kieran Tierney and Moussa Dembele, Benyu’s future is an exciting one under the Hoops boss.
Spurs have tracked his progress for a long time
Kundai Benyu has long been on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur. Last year they even invited him and flew him to Amsterdam to take part in a NextGen youth tournament while he was still contracted to Ipswich Town.
The Daily Mail reported as recently as May that Spurs were chasing his signature with his contract due to expire at Portman Road this summer. Another Premier League side were also said to be interested with West Ham United sending scouts to track his progress.
It’ll be promising for Hoops fans to hear big teams were after the youngster. Having that calibre of team after him is reminiscent of when Moussa Dembele made the switch to Glasgow instead of moving the fringes of an English top-flight side. Celtic can offer these young players access to first team football, European football and the chance to make a name for themselves in a less competitive league.
He has a strong personality
We can’t imagine many players stand-up to Mick McCarthy regardless of age but for a teenager to do so clearly shows he has a strong personality and a bit of attitude about him, which is no bad thing if managed correctly.
The Daily Mail reckon the reason he went out on loan to Aldershot initially was because of a fall-out with the Ipswich Town boss, which perhaps points to him seeking the first team football that he wasn’t getting at Portman Road.
With his appearances and performances for Aldershot, he’s proven he isn’t above getting stuck in even in non-glamorous surroundings. Brendan Rodgers will tap into that work ethic, everyone knows the standards he sets at Celtic.
Arrogance and ambition can be a positive trait in footballers, especially at a team like Celtic and in his short career so far, he’s shown he has a strong desire to better himself.