Will Celtic pay Paulo Bernardo’s price this summer?

Celtic’s midfield is currently under intense scrutiny.

When all of their first-round picks are fit, it is an unrivalled area domestically, at least domestically, with the trio of captain Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, and Matt O’Riley no doubt instilling fear in any Scottish opposition facing them. Of course, only O’Riley has been consistently fit this season, leaving the number six and eight spots in Celtic’s engine room open for others to fill.

This season has been a bit of a roulette in terms of these areas, as many players have been part of the ever-changing midfield. David Turnbull took Hatate’s place early in the season, but he has since moved on to pastures new down south with Cardiff City. Odin Thiago Holm, a summer signing from Norway’s Valerenga, has shown glimpses, but his concerning injury record has prevented him from making a significant impact in Brendan Rodgers’ team. Youngster Daniel Kelly and fringe player Tomoki Iwata have recently played extended minutes for the team, but only time will tell if they can maintain this level of play once the big hitters return.

This brings us nicely to Paulo Bernardo, Celtic’s summer deadline day signing from Benfica in September. He joined the club as a highly regarded prospect by both his parent club and his native Portugal’s U21 squad, for which he has 21 caps. Benfica included an option to buy in the initial season-long loan deal, reportedly worth around £6 million if Celtic wanted to sign the player permanently. Similar to recent fees paid for players such as Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota (Bernardo’s former Benfica teammate) it provides Celtic with a ‘try before you buy’ policy that has previously worked so well, most notably with Odsonne Edouard in 2018.

The question is, will Celtic try to do the same with Bernardo? Given his mixed fortunes this season, everything is up in the air right now. There have been rumours in Portugal that the club wants to keep the 22-year-old for next season, as well as reports that they will try to renegotiate the fee associated with his option to buy.

A few months ago, this would have elicited nearly unanimous approval from many. After all, his performances prior to the winter break had impressed many, with Bernardo coming into the team to try to end a two-game losing streak against Kilmarnock and Hearts. Even before that, his defensive performances in the Champions League, particularly against Atletico Madrid, drew attention, with his dig and drive earning him new fans in Scotland and elsewhere in Europe’s top competition.

This support would reach a fever pitch during the festive season, when he broke his goal-scoring drought against Dundee at Dens Park on Boxing Day. Not a bad Christmas present, but there was a better one on the way just four days later at Celtic Park. In the Glasgow Derby against Rangers, he scored a phenomenal half-volley from just outside the box, contributing to a memorable 2-1 victory over his team’s main rivals and becoming a household name for many. Three days later, Bernardo followed up with two assists against St Mirren in Paisley, prompting cries of’sign him up’ as he had truly arrived as a Celtic player.

The winter break came and went, and another injury to Hatate meant Bernardo remained in the team. Opening the scoring against Buckie Thistle with an audacious chipped shot, Bernardo appeared to be maintaining the good form he had shown prior to the league’s temporary shutdown, but this would not last. Bernardo’s good form vanished sharply and suddenly when combined with Celtic’s shaky form in February and March, which included starts in all three of Celtic’s points-dropping games against Aberdeen, Kilmarnock, and Hearts.

Even so, this is to be expected from a young player playing football for the first time outside of his home country. To be sure, these form issues are almost identical to those of O’Riley, who struggled in Ange Postecoglou’s midfield alongside Aaron Mooy last season. This isn’t the only similarity between these two midfielders; they both look incredibly similar, which causes frequent confusion when one is on the ball.

Despite these struggles in the new year, the fact that Celtic are reportedly interested in the midfielder suggests that Rodgers and his staff are seeing enough of the player in training to sign him on a permanent basis, albeit not at the price agreed upon in September. This could be an inspired strategy, as the midfielder would not need to adjust due to his previous loan spell at the club. A popular member of the dressing room – a quick Instagram search confirms this theory – he would have a clear path to next season, especially if the deal is finalised before pre-season training begins this summer.

The harsh reality of the season’s end is that there will be a change of guard in the midfield, particularly with one or both of Hatate and O’Riley. For the latter, a successful season and EUROs could entice transfer vultures to swarm, creating an opening for Bernardo to step in. Though less likely than his teammate, Hatate, 26, may spend his future and prime years with another club, either down south or further afield in Europe. A summer of change is unavoidable, and Celtic must be prepared for when it happens.

Bernardo must persevere and seize opportunities as they arise in the final stages of this season, even if they may dry up due to the return of Celtic’s elite engine room operators.

The future will take care of itself, so the talented midfielder should focus on the present.

In other news, Celtic star Daizen Maeda shines on international duty, helping Japan defeat North Korea.