It’s a dilemma for talented youngsters in the modern era. Should you move to an elite club who will pay well and have outstanding facilities but probably not play? Or move to a lesser club where you can develop and perhaps earn a move later on?
According to The Scotsman, Celtic and Manchester City are currently trying to sign Ecuadorian wonderkid Jose Cifuentes, and it’s the Glasgow club who are leading the race.
The Ecuadorian has impressed in his home nation but shot to prominence by playing a huge part in Ecuador’s run to the semi-finals of the U20’s World Cup this summer. He played a starring role in midfield and scored the goal of the tournament.
The Scotsman also claim the player has attracted interest from clubs in Germany and Italy.
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There is also the issue of obtaining a work permit, where The Scotsman story believes he is more likely to gain a work permit in Scotland than England due to differing criteria.
If he were to move to Manchester it’s likely he would need to be loaned out to another European club in the meantime until he obtained the work permit.
Interestingly, Man City signed Australian winger Daniel Arzani last summer before immediately loaning him to Celtic for 2 years. That could be a solution for the Ecuadorian, however it’s likely Celtic would rather secure him as their own player than develop him for City to possibly sell on in two years.
Cifuentes plays in defensive midfield, which is not a current area of weakness for Celtic however they may be looking to the Ecuadorian as an eventual successor to Scott Brown.