The future of Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis remains a hot topic for the Parkhead outfit, with the Greece international having been heavily linked with a move away from Glasgow in recent weeks.
Following reports that claimed the 28-year-old was ‘unhappy‘ at the failure to agree terms regarding a bumper new deal, the suggestion was that the former VVV-Venlo man was attracting interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, ahead of an exit this month.
More recent claims in Japan, via the Daily Record, have now suggested that the £12k-per-week brute – who still has three-and-a-half years left to run on his existing deal with the Hoops – could be edging closer to joining J-League side, Urawa Red Diamonds.
Whether those rumours prove to be true or not, it does appear that the 6 foot 1 ace is seemingly destined to depart before the end of the window, leaving manager Ange Postecoglou tasked with replacing an asset who has scored 25 goals in just 56 games for the Old Firm outfit to date.
While the likelihood is that the Bhoys will look to strengthen with a new addition – having been linked with a handful of striking targets of late – Postecoglou could well find a potential heir to Giakoumakis in the form of a player who is already at the club.
That successor could well prove to be youth starlet, Joey Dawson, with the 19-year-old – who is the nephew of former Tottenham Hotspur defender Michael Dawson – having been in sparkling form in the academy ranks of late.
The highly-rated teenager – who made the move to Paradise from Scunthorpe United back in the summer of 2021 – has been on a particularly impressive hot streak in recent weeks, having scored six goals in his last three Lowland League games for the club’s ‘B’ team.
That treble of braces included a double in the 5-2 thrashing over rivals Rangers at the end of last month, with the young Englishman having netted twice despite only entering the fray for the final few minutes of the match.
Such rampant, clinical form has showcased that the promising talent certainly knows where the back of the net is, much like Giakoumakis, while he is also potentially able to match the senior man’s physical presence in attack, having been described as a “big centre-forward” by his uncle.
That had come amid Dawson’s debut on Boxing Day in the 3-1 win over St Johnstone in Perth back in 2021, albeit with the exciting figure having been unable to build on that brief impact in the first-team.
That being said, on the evidence of his recent form, the youngster must certainly be catching the attention of Postecoglou, with the potential exit of Giakoumakis offering the ideal chance to secure a more prominent role at senior level.
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