Who is Amido Balde (video)

With Amido Balde apparently on the verge of signing for Celtic his pedigree is being eagerly assessed.

As ever with these matters the trail leads to You Tube and equally predictably every compilation video shows the best of the 22-year-old.

Nine goals last season is hardly headline grabbing form but behind the stats there are other details to be considered.

In 30 league fixtures last season Vitoria Guimaraes scored just 36 goals with Balde accounting for 25% of those goals.

Guimaraes finished the season in ninth place of the 16 team Premeira Liga but that didn’t deter Celtic as they scoured the continent for a goal-scorer with a physical presence.

Celtic haven’t had a physical striker since the departure of John Hartson in 2006 with the options presented by the Welshman and Chris Sutton making a big impression on Neil Lennon.

Balde’s arrival at Glasgow Airport may not look like the way that Celtic do business but the striker certainly ticks the boxes that Neil Lennon has been looking for to give his team an extra edge.

Despite the apparent counter attraction of a relegation battle with Crystal Palace Balde’s UK agent, former Chelsea striker Tommy Langley, sees the obvious attraction of a move to Celtic for his client.

“He’s very, very keen to sign for Celtic,” Langley said. “There are other clubs interested in Amido, but Crystal Palace is now a non-runner.

“At the end of the day he’s here and we’re trying to get the deal done at Celtic – and that’s the first priority.

“He wants to come here because it’s a fantastic football club which plays in the Champions League.

“The Champions League is just massive for footballers these days. It’s a great sounding board for players to come and test themselves and play top class football. Why wouldn’t he want to come here?

“He’s a very happy boy now that he’s in Glasgow and has got a scarf around his neck, but we’ll see where it goes from here. He’s got a couple of things to sort out but he’s very interested in coming here permanently.”

On the day that Balde arrived for talks with Celtic Johnny Russell completed a £750,000 move from Dundee United to Derby County, signing a four year contract.