Opinion: £900k-rated midfielder should be on Celtic's transfer list

It is interesting to note that as yet Ange Postecoglu, during his time as Celtic manager, has yet to sign a player that plays in the Scottish Premiership.

There could be a number of reasons for that, but maybe that run of signings should come to an end in the summer, and Celtic should consider a move for Hearts midfielder Beni Baningime.

The 23-year-old, who is rated at £900k by Transfermarkt, has been excellent in the middle of the park this season for the Tynecastle side, helping to what looks to be a certain third placed finish in the Scottish Premiership and the semi-final of the Scottish Cup.

He is the type of midfielder that could provide competition in the middle of the park to Nir Bitton, and could perhaps be the midfielder’s long-term replacement at Celtic Park.

The former Derby County man doesn’t find the back of the net that often for Hearts – he has scored twice this season – but that isn’t really his job for the Edinburgh side, his job is to help control the middle of the park, and provide a platform to those further up the pitch.

If you look at the player’s statistics for the Premiership season on WhoScored.Com, he makes an average of 2.6 tackles per game, and 1.2 interceptions. That is a good total for a defensive midfielder. Winning tacklers and making interceptions are a big part of a defensive midfielder’s game, and Baningime has been a big part of Hearts’ success this season.

There are perhaps two stumbling blocks to any potential move for the player that Ange Postecoglou and Celtic might well need to consider.

The first is that the player might not be a regular for Celtic every week like he is for Hearts, as there is likely to be more competition for places in the Hoops squad.

That could put Baningime