Shane Duffy on loan to Celtic makes perfect sense for Brighton

Shane Duffy is a wanted man: West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Celtic are all said to be keen on giving the Irish defender the regular football which he has found increasingly hard to come by under Graham Potter at Brighton.

Duffy went from being the Albion’s Player of the Season in 2018-19 to third choice centre back behind Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster in 2019-20.

Potter was never convinced by Duffy’s ability on the ball and he started just 12 Premier League matches as a result. Ben White’s return from The Leeds United pushes Duffy even further down the pecking order, effectively making him fourth choice for 2020-21.

All of which makes a departure seem sadly inevitable. Duffy is too good to be missing out on first team football. At 28, he should be in the prime of his career and if he spends the coming season sat on the bench, new Ireland boss Stephen Kenny might struggle to select him for Euro 2021 next summer if the boys in green qualify.

The question is no longer does Duffy go, but where does he go? As already noted, the player is not short of admirers. His preferred destination would undoubtedly be Celtic; he and his family are lifelong supporters, as anyone who has seen Duffy cheering them on the big screen in Molly Malone’s on a Sunday lunchtime can atest to.

A move to Celtic Park would be a dream come true for Duffy. Forget for a minute how easy he would find it marking strikers like Jonathan Obika every week and imagine how much joy he would get from helping Neil Lennon’s side lift their annual treble.

Duffy would also have the prospect of playing Champions League football, providing Celtic manage to avoid elimination in the qualifying rounds against some farmers from the Faroe Islands.

Lennon has confirmed that he and Celtic have expressed their interest in signing Duffy to the Albion. There is one major stumbling block to a move to Scotland, however – finances.

While West Ham and West Brom could easily afford the £10 million to £15 million it would cost to sign Duffy plus his wages of around £45,000, those sorts of figures probably put him out of reach of the Bhoys.

If Brighton are interested in Odsonne Edouard as the rumour mill seems to suggest, then the Albion could include Duffy in an offer to bring the French striker south.

Celtic want £30 million for Edouard – include Duffy in any deal and Brighton could knock that fee down by £10 million, although Celtic would still need to find a way to pay Duffy’s wages.

A move to Celtic therefore seems unlikely for Shane Duffy, which is a shame as it would very much suit Brighton too. One of the overwhelming reasons for the Albion not to sell Ben White to The Leeds United this summer has been because it would strengthen a relegation rival.

You could apply the same logic to flogging Duffy to West Ham or West Brom. Why give a side who the Albion will be battling against a proven Premier League defender who will undoubtedly improve their team?

There is one way that Duffy can get his dream move to Celtic, the Scottish champions can afford to sign him and Brighton do not sell to a relegation rival – a season long loan.

Of course, that relies on the Albion being willing to write off £10 million in a potential transfer fee for the time being in lieu of receiving a couple of million loan fee. They would also presumably need to be happy paying part of Duffy’s wages while he spends a year in Scotland.

The benefits though outweigh simply ensuring Duffy does not help another Premier League survive. A lot can change in a season and keeping Duffy on the books for a year could end up being a shrewd move come the summer of 2021.

The only reason that Brighton are considering offloading Duffy is because he does not fit in with Potter’s requirements. What if in a year’s time Potter is no longer in the dugout?

The Albion could enjoy a stellar 2020-21 season which leads a bigger club to approach and appoint the current Brighton boss. Or it could be a long, hard slog against relegation which results in Tony Bloom feeling a managerial change is necessary.

A new manager may value defensive qualities over players who are comfortable in possession. They might therefore want to call upon a defender such as Duffy. Loaning him to Celtic keeps that option alive, at least for another season.

Then there is that dreaded r-word. Say the worst did happen and Brighton ended 2020-21 being relegated. Dunk would leave next summer to stay in the Premier League; if White as good as everyone is expecting him to be then he too would depart; and if Webster performs across a 38 game season as he did in the nine games post-lockdown, then he would not be short of top flight suitors either.

If the Albion found themselves kicking off 2021-22 in the Championship, who better to come back in and marshal the defence than Duffy? He would be the best defender in the second tier and the perfect man to help lead the charge for an immediate return to the Premier League.

Tony Bloom is on record having said that Brighton need to start selling players to claw back money. Only Anthony Knockaert to Fulham and Connor Goldson to Rangers have departed for decent fees over the past five years.

Duffy might be seen as a prime candidate to join them in leaving – but that should be only a temporary switch for now. Duffy offers a valuable insurance policy should the Albion fail to become further established in the Premier League, Potter ends up leaving in the next year or Dunk, White and Webster do not live up to the high expectations already being placed on them as a back three.

Brighton loaning Shane Duffy to Celtic makes perfect sense and suits every party. Send him to Scotland and see where we are in a year.