Yahoo News Celtic told to sign 'first class person' after Nottingham Forest transfer decision
Scottish champions Celtic have been told to explore the possibility of signing defender Scott McKenna on a free transfer, after the defender left Nottingham Forest at the end of his contract. McKenna was released this summer by the Reds along with the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate, Felipe and Wayne Hennessey, whose deals had also expired.
McKenna, who spent the second half of last season playing for FC Copenhagen in Denmark, spent four years at the City Ground having moved from Aberdeen in 2021 and in that time he played a significant role in helping the club to secure a long awaited return to the Premier League - he then featured prominently in 2022-23, but McKenna fell down the pecking order last year.
Forest decided, as a consequence, to allow him to find a new club and McKenna is expected to be in demand once he returns from Germany where he is representing Scotland currently at Euro 2024. McKenna is said to be a Celtic fan and a return back north of the border could be on the cards.
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Dons great and former centre half Willie Miller, who worked with McKenna as an academy prospect at Pittodrie, certainly believes that if there is a deal to be done with Celtic - who had a bid rejected for McKenna in 2018 - then the Bhoys should look into it as he sung the praises of the centre half.
"I've known Scott since he was a development player in the programme at Aberdeen," he told the Celtic Way. "I have watched him grow from being a young lanky midfield player to this colossus who now plays as a centre-back. He has great grace and a real physical presence.
"I have watched him develop over the years and I remember he first caught my attention when he was out on loan with Ayr United and they played St Mirren. This man mountain that was Scott halved John McGinn in the middle of the park and I was working for the BBC at the time and was asked on air if I had anything to do with that.
"I had to reply no. When I was at the club, Scott was a slim midfield player and not the defensive powerhouse that he is now. He has reaped the rewards for working hard at his game. My memory of him as a development player was that he was a keen listener and learner. If he does go to Celtic, they will inherit not only a good footballer but also a first-class person. Scott has developed into a fully-fledged international player.
"He would be a real asset to any top club. Brendan Rodgers lays a lot of stock in his players being good people and it is really important. Any player who is brought to Celtic will know that thorough background checks will have been conducted.
"I can only speak for Aberdeen, I have known this club all my life and I know the people who work at the club and the standards that they set are impeccably high. From that point of view, if Scott is on a free transfer then it would be a great move for Celtic if they could persuade him to come to the club and it is a bit of a no-brainer."
