Celtic transfer scouting: The Championship live wire and the Manchester City connection defender

While the competition is fierce and physical, there's plenty of quality and even the odd bargain to be sniffed out by those with a keen eye.

We've seen several stars at this level shift up several gears to shine in the top flight, with the likes of Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins proving there is value to be had if you look hard enough.

Despite the inflated demands from clubs in respect to transfer fees, the Championship is still an area where value can be found, especially in those whose contracts are coming to an end.

Here we will take a look at three players who could be high-value additions for Celtic this summer or in the near future.

Antoine Semeneyo (Bristol City)

Nationality: Ghanaian; Age: 22; Position: Striker; Preferred Foot: Right; TransferMarkt Value: £2.25million

Semenyo is one of the most sought-after players in the Championship at the moment after a fantastic individual season.

His performances have earned him a call-up to the Ghanaian national team as he made his first appearances as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Madagascar earlier this month.

With just a year remaining on his contract, Semenyo would be a top acquisition for any club and Celtic, who have been linked in the past, should be involved in the mix.

He started out from wide areas but has worked well as a centre-forward. He is a well-rounded attacker who likes to drop deep, receive the ball and make things happen. His heatmap shows how involved he is and is always looking to pin defenders and facilitate attacks in the final third.

Semenyo has the second best goal contributions per 90 in the Championship this season as per Statsbomb, playing 2131 minutes for Bristol City. The Ghanaian forward has paired up well with Chris Martin for City, dropping into dangerous areas, dragging defenders and trying to open spaces in behind for quick attacks.

He is a high-volume shooter and tries to go for goal when he sees an opening. He does tend to shoot from low xG areas at times. However, his strong physique, especially his ability to hold up and pin defenders away from the opposition goal, turn and work his way around them is one of his strengths. He isn’t towering, standing at 5ft 10in, but the way he uses his physique and pace to change the tempo of the attacks at times stands out.

The images above show a quick counter from Bristol City, facilitated by Semenyo’s hold-up and quickness to get away from his marker and speeding up the counter. Not only does he hold up the ball well but he has the ability to turn quickly even if he starts with his back against the goal and drive with pace towards the goal.

The forward has paired well with Chris Martin, making good movements as Martin looks to knock-down aerial balls in the attacking third. In open play, his movement in the box is also a real joy to watch as he tries to occupy defenders before quickly trying to jump ahead of them with his quickness and anticipation to get to the ball first.

In set-piece situations, he tries to occupy isolated spaces and anticipates loose headers or balls in those areas. While his team is in possession, he occupies the space in between the last line of defence and finds a way to make runs in behind.

He also works hard, trying to chase and press up high although that's not how Bristol City set up. He also engages players wide by drifting and then driving into the box. Better shot selection would help him get more goals but he has the capacity to generate good power even with his weaker foot.

Semenyo would be a fantastic fit for Ange and Celtic if a fee could be agreed.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Stoke City, on loan from Manchester City)

Nationality: English; Age: 20; Position: Centre-back; Preferred foot: Right; Height: 6ft 2in; TransferMarkt Value: £6.3million

Celtic finalised the permanent signing of Cameron Carter-Vickers this past week, paying £6 million up front which could go up to £10 million including add-ons. Although it seems as though they would be reluctant to pay big again for another centre-back this summer, Taylor Harwood-Bellis could be one to break that condition for.

He is another bright prospect from the City academy and played as the left-sided centre-back for Stoke when they lined up with a back four and has also played across a back three.

Harwood-Bellis is comfortable on the ball and as you can see from the visualisation above, he is a safe passer with around 86.5% success rate in the Championship last season. In addition, he loves to progress the ball with his passing and is among the top in that area. The young Englishman is a vertical passer and looks to move the ball forward or wide, progressing it to the next phase.

He has a good range of passing in his locker, with the ability to go long when he is allowed time on the ball. He is quite comfortable chipping the ball over the opposition midfield or defensive line. He recorded an assist with one of these against Birmingham City this season, shown below.

In addition to the chipped balls, he can also switch play with diagonals. Not only is he good with his passing but he can also carry the ball into the midfield third, given time and space. He is not someone who will go past players by using his physique or drilling into the final third like a Rudiger or Matip but does so to gain ground before distributing it wide or going long.

On the defensive side of things, the Manchester City academy graduate is very imposing and tends to be physical in duels. He is good at intercepting by being at the right place in most occasions and he does it without going to the ground. Harwood-Bellis is also quite mobile and sufficiently quick for a centre-back but does tend to be a touch slow in judging situations which can cause him issues.

While marking, he tends to get tight to players and goes in physically, trying to use his physique. His defensive duel rate is below average when compared with his competition but that is a bit misleading. Even in the air, he is dominant and sometimes manages to get a good leap, imposing himself but his body shape is something he has to work on.

Overall, Harwood-Bellis could be a really good option for Celtic. They have a fantastic relationship with the City group going back many years and another loan-to-buy option could work out for everybody given Champions League football is in the pipeline.

Jake Clarke-Salter (Coventry City, on loan from Chelsea)

Nationality: English; 

Age: 24; Position: Centre-back; Preferred Foot: Left; Height: 6ft 2in; TransferMarkt Value: Free Agent (£1.8million)

With the future of Christopher Jullien up in the air, Jake Clarke-Salter would be a viable replacement option. With Chelsea deciding not to trigger an extension, he is a free agent.

The adobe is Clarke-Salter’s heatmap and as you can see, he has played on the left side of a back three for Coventry City this season, on loan.

He is also a vertical passer, always trying to move the ball forward and progressing play. He is one of the best ball progressors in the Championship when it comes to centre-backs. In addition, he also has the ability to clip accurate long balls.

With centre-backs, passes over shorter distances tend to get underlooked at times and in Clarke-Salter’s case, some of his short passing has led to starting attacks for Coventry City. He's not an elite ball-playing centre-half, but he's still above average in that area and would be a good fit at a ball-dominant side like Celtic.

On the defensive side, he is very involved and loves to engage in duels. He is usually busy in defending and covering for others. Despite the consistent duelling, he still has a good ground duels success rate. In the air, for someone his size, his success rate is a bit underwhelming but his body orientation is one of the reasons why as he mistimes the jump or doesn’t get the ball first. He is not blessed with great pace. 

Despite some of his flaws, Clarke-Salter would prove to be a good value addition to the Celtic squad given his free-agent status.