Celtic have had a mixed record with signings since Brendan Rodgers resumed his position in the Parkhead dugout last summer.
Nevertheless, one man who could be categorised as a tangible success is Luis Palma, who arrived from Aris Thessaloniki last year for a fee in the region of £3.5 million.
Nine goals and ten assists in 31 appearances across all competitions this campaign have come his way [Transfermarkt].
However, Daizen Maeda’s excellent form and an unfortunate muscle injury have recently kept the Honduras international out of the limelight, until now.
Palma returned to action last week against St Mirren off the bench, and he could now be set for a run in Rodgers’ side due to his colleague Maeda being ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring issue [Football Scotland].
Intriguingly, the 24-year-old has also revealed taking extra steps to get back to full fitness ahead of the Scottish Premiership run-in, stating earlier this week: “I discussed it with someone from the staff; I plan to go to the training centre on Monday to be at my best at the end of the tournament.”
Some supporters may have reservations about his decision-making at times; regardless, Palma is a player who has all the tools required to step up during the league’s final stretch.
Luis Palma’s qualities can’t be underestimated for Celtic
With Rodgers in a position where Hyunjun Yang, Nicolas Kuhn and James Forrest could provide alternative options from the left flank, there are a wide range of choices available to the Irishman depending on the task at hand.
Yet, from a numerical standpoint factoring in Scottish Premiership action, starting Palma over the above-mentioned could be an underrated solution to Maeda’s non-availability for the foreseeable future.
As shown below, Palma has excelled in several key metrics for Celtic this season concerning the wider squad, signifying that his creative qualities shouldn’t go under the radar despite room for improvement within his overall play
The former Aris man also ranks second in chances created (different from big chances), third in shots per 90 minutes and third in Expected Goals on target, showcasing his capacity to be a regular threat from the wide areas.
At times, the spectacular comes off for Palma, or it doesn’t; however, he does much more work than he is given credit for, which may not arise during initial viewing or pass the conventional eye test.
Celtic have a lot of talent to work with there, and the La Ceiba-born man will be keen to prove the best is yet to come from him at Parkhead.