Amongst the dozen or so strikers that have been linked with a move to Celtic this month it seems that James Vaughan is the most likely to make an appearance at Lennoxtown.
With Alan Stubbs and Davie Moyes of Everton on good terms with Neil Lennon the 22-year-old has been brought to Celtic’s attention through footballing connections rather than wishful thinking from an agent.
Vaughan spent the first part of this season on loan at Crystal Palace who are believed to have tabled an £850,000 offer to make the move permanent.
Everton value the striker at around £2m but seem happy to let him go on loan to Celtic which could provide them with a showcase to achieve that fee in the summer.
Last season Everton sent John Ruddy and Lucas Jutiewicz on loan to Motherwell and sold Ruddy in the summer to Norwich for £500,000 with Jutiewicz joining Coventry for an undisclosed fee.
Searching for details on Vaughan brought me to the Blue Kipper website which gives a thorough breakdown of the strikers career.
The early promise of becoming the club’s youngest ever player and scorer was halted by knee and foot injury but his loan at Crystal Palace would suggest that he is now back to full fitness.
Whether he can realise the promise that brought comparisons to Wayne Rooney remains to be seen but as a back-up option to the preferred Gary Hooper and Anthony Stokes partnership he could be an invaluable member of Celtic’s title bid.
Three years ago Georgios Samaras was signed in similar circumstances and scored a number of vital goals as the title was clinched in spectacular fashion at Tannadice.
According to Blue Kipper: “Vaughany went to school in Birmingham where he surpassed Michael Owen’s school boy goalscoring record, he was then spotted by Everton’s scouts while playing in Preston. He ran the 100 metres in 11.5 seconds as a 13 year old and in 1999, he was recognised as the 3rd fastest 13 year old in Britain.
“Vaughan scored a number of goals for the reserve team during the 2004–05 season, catching the eye of Moyesy. He was named among the substitutes for the first time on Saturday, February 19 2005 for the FA Cup Fifth Round tie against Man Utd and was also named in the Blues’ 16 a week later for the 3-1 win at Villa.
“His 73rd-minute substitute appearance against Crystal Palace on 10 April 2005, ensured that the 16-year-old from Birmingham broke Joe Royle’s record as the club’s youngest first-team player by 11 days, as he was just 16 years and 271 days old though Vaughan has since been surpassed by Jose Baxter.
“Then his 84th-minute strike not only made him Everton’s youngest-ever scorer, surpassing Rooney at 16 years 360 days, but he also overtook James Milner as the Premiership’s s youngest scorer.
“Vaughan signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2005, agreeing to a two year contract. Early in the 2005–06 campaign, however, he sustained a knee injury whilst on international duty with England Under-18s.
“A series of complications sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign and he did not have the chance to establish himself as a regular in the senior squad. Vaughan made his return for Everton reserves on the 29 August 2006 against Newcastle United reserves. He played 63 minutes scoring a goal in the process.
“He scored his 2nd league goal in the 93rd minute of a 2-0 win over West Ham. Vaughan, despite suffering a severed foot artery in a match with Bolton, went on to score three more goals in the final stages of the 2006–07 season including one against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
“At the end of the 2006–07 season, Vaughan extended his contract with Everton until the summer of 2011. He was awarded the Evertonfc.com ‘Young Player of the season’ award.
“On 18 July 2007, in a pre-season friendly, Vaughan suffered a dislocated shoulder at Preston.. He was out of action for three months before returning in late October. He made his Premier League return in a match against Birmingham in which he came on as a substitute in the last 10 minutes. He went on to score in stoppage time and ensured Everton victory where they won 3-1.
“James Vaughan scored the winner in a 3-2 Everton victory over AZ Alkmaar, who had a 32 years record of never being beaten at home in European Competitions.
“After a five-month spell on the sidelines, James Vaughan made his return on April 19th 2009 against Man Utd. in the F.A. Cup semi-final in the first period of extra time and scored his penalty in the penalty shootout that saw Everton beat Manchester United by 4-2. He went on to play in the 2009 FA Cup Final, coming on as a second half substitute.”
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