Aberdeen lead the Premiership table by five points following a perfect start to the season which has seen the Dons win all eight of their opening games.
Down the road at Parkhead the party line is that Celtic are not worried by the Dons’ flying start but actions sometimes speak louder than words and Ronny Deila’s efforts to sign free agent Carlton Cole suggest that something is concerning him.
Celtic’s hunt for a new centre forward has been widely reported, with the Parkhead club failing in a deadline day bid to sign Sunderland striker but is Cole the answer or simply a sign of desperation from Deila?
West Ham tried to shift Cole to West Brom in January but were forced to cancel the deal at the last minute and hold onto the striker when the Hammers’ move for Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor collapsed at the last minute.
West Brom were believed to again be offered the striker’s services in the summer but declined the offer, instead opting to strengthen in that department with the additions of Rickie Lambert and Salomon Rondon.
So why did the Baggies turn down the chance to sign 31-year-old Cole? Perhaps they were put off by the fact he only scored two goals in the league last season and three goals overall? Perhaps they didn’t fancy signing a striker who has played 85 games in the last three seasons but scored just 11 goals.
Maybe the more pertinent question is why are Celtic looking to sign the player? During his time in the English top flight at West Ham he has averaged less than six goals a season, despite playing an average of 30 games in each of those seasons.
Of course there are major differences between the top flights north and south of the border and Cole could go on to enjoy great success in Scotland – Leigh Griffiths didn’t enjoy the very best of times in England despite not playing in their top league but he has since flourished in Scotland with Hibs and now Celtic.
However, there are major differences between Cole and Griffiths. First and foremost the two players joined Celtic at very different stages of their careers – Griffiths joined when he was young, hungry and desperate to prove a point. Cole, on the other hand, is nearing the end of his career and is unlikely to come with the same motivation he may have had earlier in his career. Celtic previously signed Ian Wright and Dion Dublin when they were at similar stages in their career and it is safe to say neither of them lit up Parkhead.
It should also be noted that when Griffiths got himself onto the pitch in England he averaged a goal every two games during his time there – a slightly better ratio than the figures attributed to Cole. It is largely accepted that the reasons behind Griffiths not spending longer in England were largely attitude related rather than talent based. Deila has managed to deal with those attitude concerns, help Griffiths to mature as a man and a player and, ultimately, is now getting the very best out of him on the pitch.
It remains to be seen whether or not Deila can get the best out of Cole but it looks unlikely that the Norwegian will be able to turn this 31-year-old with a questionable goalscoring record into the player that Celtic need to ignite their season and end the early season title winning dreams of the Aberdeen support.