With Celtic making three signings on transfer deadline day, much of the attention was on the attacking options added to the squad. One current Scottish Premiership manager, however, has been vocal about the quality of another new arrival, having worked with him down south.
Stephen Pressley will be preparing his Dundee side for their Scottish Cup fifth-round tie against Celtic on Saturday evening.
The former Celtic defender worked as a development coach at Brentford up until his appointment at the Premiership club in the summer, and believes Celtic have made a smart move in the transfer window.
Benjamin Arthur arrived on a loan deal until the summer, having had interest from several English Championship clubs.
The 20-year-old hasn’t had much senior football, but is a star in the making, according to Pressley.
The Dundee manager saw him up close and has made a bold comparison having seen what Arthur can offer.
He said (RecordSport):
“I don’t want to put much pressure on him, but he does remind me of a young Virgil van Dijk. He is a huge unit but also very mobile.
“He is right sided. Benjy is very calm and clean in his defending. He is very assured, quick, strong and powerful. He has got so many good attributes that all the top modern day defenders require.”
Pressley revealed the inside chat he had with one of Celtic’s top coaches before the Hoops beat other clubs to Arthur’s signature.
“I spoke to Shaun Maloney about him the other day.
“I told him how highly I rated him, and he is a player with huge potential.
“They, in my opinion, have made a good acquisition. Of course, it is his first loan. This will be a new experience for the player, but he is a player who has huge potential.”
It’s a move that could benefit all parties. Celtic add a player at no cost, and Brentford loan a player to help aid his development at a club with high demands.
Pressley continued:
“Brentford thought this would be a terrific loan for him because one of the biggest challenges is, can you handle the pressures of playing for Celtic or Rangers.
“I think if you can handle that, then you will be able to handle most clubs.”
Arthur bolsters the Hoops’ backline options, especially with Cameron Carter-Vickers sidelined. He’ll be a rotational option, but this is surely a move that will see him feature more than Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who made just one appearance before being recalled by Manchester City and loaned to Germany’s top flight.
Perhaps former Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer offered Arthur some advice before his move to Glasgow, with the Norwegian having experienced it all during his successful period under Brendan Rodgers.
Arthur could feature against Pressley’s Dundee side tomorrow. Martin O’Neill may look to rotate his squad as the games come thick and fast, with Premiership and Europa League fixtures coming fast.
It remains to be seen whether he’s been registered as part of the Hoops’ Europa play-off squad. The deadline has passed, with Celtic’s being able to add three of their five new arrivals to the squad.
Julian Araujo and Tomas Cvancara are pretty much guaranteed places after impressing, which leaves two of Arthur, Adamu or Mvuka disappointed.
Arthur will be one to watch in the coming months. If he impresses, he returns to Brentford a more developed player.
O’Neill will look to utilise his fringe players in the coming weeks, allowing them the chance to impress, and Arthur could be in with a real shout of potentially staking a place in the team.
Tees for Tims