Celtic transfer options in Argentina including ‘dangerous’ Alexandro Bernabei

While some players make a direct jump from the Liga Profesional to top-five European leagues, others start their continental adventure in other countries. Either way, the Argentine market is a potential goldmine for smart recruiters.

Under Ange Postecoglou, Celtic have shown that they aren’t hesitant in looking at niche markets and the Hoops would be acting smart by scouting the Liga Profesional for future players.

Here, we look at three defenders who could be smart acquisitions for Celtic...

Alexandro Bernabéi (Club Atlético Lanús)

Age: 21; Position: Left-back; Preferred Foot: Left; TransferMarkt Value: £2.97m

The left-back position is an area that Celtic would prioritise in the summer transfer window considering a lot of other areas have sufficient players in terms of starting quality.

Greg Taylor has, admittedly, been putting up positive performances of late however adding another quality left-back would benefit the team. Alex Bernabéi of Lanus would be a young and attractive option in that sense.

Bernabéi has been capped once for the Argentina under-23 national team and is a very attack-minded player. The young left-back gets into central areas of the pitch quite often, especially the left half-spaces. He is someone who looks to exploit space, even if it is central. He carries the ball really well and is a good dribbler, averaging 3.14 dribbles per 90.

The numbers throw Bernabéi into the 'ones to watch out for' category and rightly so. The Argentine is technically sound on the ball and has the ability to pull good through balls. His movement off the ball is also quite interesting as he occupies areas higher up the pitch.

The 21-year-old has got good footwork and is a trickster. He has a few skills up his sleeve, in addition to ample speed, that helps him in one-v-one situations going forward. His trickery and quick feet also allow him to get past markers in tight situations.

Bernabéi’s crossing is also very dangerous. Although a bit more consistency in that area would elevate him to a higher level, he is still a player who knows where to deliver. The crossing zone he mostly picks up is just outside the penalty area, on the edge of the box and launches the ball in with a huge threat. He is a volume crosser as well, attempting around 4.5 crosses per 90.

Since the Argentine is generally in advanced positions up the pitch, it leaves space down the left flank for his team, which can be exploited by the opposition. In addition, he can be quite slow in tracking back on occasions. However, he does still make a lot of interceptions and knows how to cut out danger, especially in the higher areas of the pitch.

On the duelling side, Bernabéi attempts a fair amount but wins below average. One of the most important reasons for that is that he isn’t strong and imposing enough. He has a tendency of getting pushed over easily and, even in one-v-one situations, he isn’t the most comfortable of players. He is quite aggressive when it comes to challenges and opposition players try to make use of this to go down when he gets tight.

Lautaro Blanco (Rosario Central)

Age: 23; Position: Left-back; Preferred Foot: Left; TransferMarkt Value: £1.35m

An alternative to Alex Bernabéi for a left-back acquisition would be Lautaro Blanco of Rosario Central. He is a player entering, into the peak years of his career and would be an even cheaper option for Celtic than his compatriot.

Blanco is someone who loves going forward and getting involved in the final phase of his team’s attacks. Unlike Bernabéi, the Rosario-born left-back prefers to stay out wide when possible and often overlaps to hold his width.

Blanco is good on the ball and has the technical ability to play in a decent European league. He is not a high-volume dribbler among full-backs but he does tend to make penalty area entries with crosses and passes on a regular basis. His passing range is quite impressive considering his ability to clip the ball over the top of the opposition defence. He also plays it into feet in between the lines in the attacking third of the pitch.

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Blanco is a more balanced full-back in terms of passing as he doesn’t take a lot of risks, although it must be said crossing is a strong suit of his and, in that sense at least, he produces in volume.

The 23-year-old can whip in crosses in a variety of ways and that is an excellent trait to have. He tries to clip, curve or go low based on the situation in the penalty area. The image above is an illustration of how well he can pick out his teammates with his crossing ability.

The defensive side of his game is also well-polished. Blanco is a heavy dueller and gets into challenges quite often as seen in the numbers below. In comparison with full-backs and wing-backs from the Liga Profesional and the SPFL, he is one of the highest-ranked in terms of duel success rate. One of the key reasons for this is the effective use of his body strength. He protects the ball well when he is in possession and when he is competing to win the ball back, he uses his upper body to shove the opponent away and regain the ball.

Most importantly, Blanco isn’t someone who goes to the ground often; he is smart to anticipate and wait for the moment before attempting to win the ball back. In addition, his reaction time is also sublime as he tends to react quickly to cut out danger. Even in one-v-one situations, his body orientation seems good and that helps him catch the player even if he races past him with skills.

Blanco seems like a capable fit for Celtic and someone who could provide immense competition to Taylor of that left-back spot. If he keeps on improving, he will end up in Europe very soon.

Gastón Ávila (Boca Juniors)

Age: 20; Position: Centre-back; Preferred Foot: Left; Height: 182cm; TransferMarkt Value: £4.5m

Carl Starfelt has been doing a decent job for Celtic this season, having already clocked around 3,500 minutes in all competitions. His right-footedness at left centre-back might not be the most ideal situation and bringing in a left-footed centre-back could help the club explore different avenues. Gaston Ávila might just be that man, if the Hoops could get him for a reasonable fee.

The 20-year-old Argentine has five caps for the under-20 national team and is the brother of Osasuna’s Chimy Ávila. However, the Boca Juniors defender spent the last year on loan at Rosario Central, where he impressed.

The youngster is a very involved centre-back, who doesn’t fear stepping out into the wide areas or the midfield third at every opportunity. One of his biggest strengths is his progressive play; he attempts around 10.8 progressive passes per 90.

He does tend to push up high by carrying the ball and uses his pace and strength to brush past the first line of press or marker before looking out for a high threat passing option. He is quite good on the ball too and his touches look safe while carrying with pace.

Ávila is indeed elite at passing, as you can see from the numbers above. His range is wide and the biggest flex about that is his ability to always look for the most threatening and dangerous options, which doesn’t just progress the ball but also starts attacks for his team. Over short ranges, he is really good at keeping the ball but he looks to go long quite often.

The image above is a classic example of Ávila breaking the lines by providing a fizzing and pacey pass through the middle, setting his team out for an attack. You can observe how his pass bypasses six opposition players - the front line and the midfield line as his team-mate pulls a centre back and turns to set the move rolling. This isn’t a one-off either because every time he receives the ball he looks for similar options and attempts these passes.

Another strong attribute of his game is his ability to go long, especially his trademark diagonals. Whether he is in the centre of the pitch or dragged out wide, he can switch play with a long diagonal and speed up attacks for his team. In the example above, you can see him successfully putting an accurate diagonal over the top from left to right, forcing the opposition to retreat back quickly. He attempts around 10.8 long passes per 90 with decent accuracy as well.

On top of his ability on the ball, Ávila can be a real threat in attacking set-pieces as well, getting his head on the end of corners.

Overall, Ávila is a well-rounded centre-back who is capable of being a strong asset on the ball and defensively. The 20-year-old is essentially a front-foot defender who also doesn’t mind closing down on players and marks his opponent very tightly. He is aggressive and uses his strength to outmuscle players.

Although this aggressive nature is a positive, he does tend to give away fouls quite often when he occasionally gets a tad too physical in duels. The example below is an illustration of him coming out from the back and getting his man, although he ends up fouling the player.

He might need to work on this side of his game a bit, as he can get isolated in wide areas, getting him to commit and opening up space in the middle. He also has a habit of jumping into tackles, as seen in his sliding tackles statistics.

Again, this aggression might need to be worked on as it could backfire against a well setup team with technical and intelligent players. It is worth reiterating that his aggression in itself is not a bad trait, but the accompanying decision-making would need to improve. In addition, one of his biggest weaknesses is defensive aerial duels; he gets beaten quite easily in the air and that could possibly need working on.

Ávila has pace for a centre-back, which is a welcome bonus to his other skills but he does turn off a bit in pressure or turnovers, occasionally leaving a man in behind. All in all, the youngster is making himself seen and could be the next big Argentinian centre-back in Europe.

If Celtic can get him for his market value or for a fee less than £7million - similar to what they paid Toulouse for Christopher Jullien - it could prove to be a huge bargain for Ange Postecoglou.