Celtic transfer trio scouted from Primeira Liga as Jota proves league's bargain credentials

Ange Postecoglou is keen on making the move permanent by triggering the £6m option-to-buy clause in his contract and that may happen sooner rather than later.

Celtic have got a bargain on their hands in snapping up the 22-year-old from the Primeira Liga in Portugal.

And there may well be a few more hidden gems in the same market who could be ideal future targets for Ange's side.

In this article, we will take a look at three attractive and potential future targets.

Dani Figueira - Estoril

Celtic signed Joe Hart from Tottenham this summer and he has settled in well. However, at 34 it would make sense if Celtic started looking for potential future replacements. Dani Figueira from Estoril could be one of the names who should be on Celtic’s shortlist.

Figueira is a 23-year old Portuguese goalkeeper who has featured for Portugal U20s in the past. He is right-footed and is 189 cm tall.

We will take a look at Figueira’s numbers with the data visualisation below.

As you can infer from the visualisation, Figueira loves playing it short rather than going long. He is quite comfortable with the ball and sees it quite often - a perfect fit for the Postecoglou system.

Moreover, he acts as the extra man in Estoril’s buildup from the back. The Portuguese keeper helps break the first line at times however, he can look uncomfortable under pressure, especially when players get very tight. He does get a little casual on rare occasions - like the horrendous error vs Vizela where he took too long to distribute and gave the ball away, conceding a goal.

Although Figueira is capable of making a highlight reel save now and then, he's mostly unspectacular and positions himself well to ensure effectiveness.

In the picture above, you can see how he is perfectly set up for the shot. He was initially a bit higher up the pitch and he took a few steps back, adjusting his angles and minimising the open areas.

Likewise, he takes up a higher starting position so that he can come of his line to collect and distribute early. The pictures below show how his starting position cut off a possibly dangerous situation.

His save percentage is very high. That is accompanied by an above-average shot-stopping ability as indicated by his PSxG-GA per 90 (Post shot expected goals faced minus goals against per 90 minutes).

He's got some work to do when it comes to saving shots with his legs while he doesn’t come out much either as evidenced by his low claims numbers.

All in all, Figueira is far from a finished product but an interesting player to keep tabs on given his natural fit to the Angeball style.

Yanis Hamache - Boavista

One of Celtic’s main issues is the void at left-back.

Reo Hatate is a name that has been heavily linked with them and he could slot in at left-back having experience playing there. However he's not really a left-back and close scouting of the Japanese star suggests he will be more of a replacement for Ryan Christie than and upgrade on Greg Taylor.

Celtic would therefore be smart to look at some long term options. Yanis Hamache is a good candidate

He's a 22-year-old left-back who signed for Boavista from Nice last summer. The Algerian  is 177 cms tall and loves bombing forward. Firstly, we will take a look at his passing and creativity with the help of a data visualisation.

As mentioned before, Hamache loves marauding into the opponent's territory at every opportunity in possession and is a progressive passer. He has played in a back four as well as a back 5 this season, switching between a left-back and left-wing-back. Hamache has got a wicked left foot and his goal against Porto this season is a prime example of the same - a thunderous hit with his into the far corner. Hamache’s crossing ability is also one of his key strengths.

He can whip one in with a curve and his deliveries are very much into dangerous areas. He is neither an elite crosser nor a high volume crosser but he does have the potential to be both. Hamache’s creative numbers are also a predicament to his ability on the offence.

He loves staying wide more often and that is where he operates. His heatmap from the Liga NOS this season is an example of the same. He'd clearly have some work to do to adapt to the inverted system favoured by Postecoglou but there's no reason to suggest he couldn't adapt.

He is certainly an asset when his team is in possession.

However, he does need to work on some of his defensive attributes. Hamache leaves a lot of vacant space behind when he is on the move in possession. He does track back pretty quickly post-turnover and makes use of his decent pace, to recover. When defending, he has a habit of consistently taking a look off his shoulder for awareness and it is quite reassuring that he keeps track of his man.

From the numbers above, it is evident that he often commits fouls. This is mainly because he gets tight to his man and goes in strong, often ending up sticking a leg in to foul. He closes down the players quickly and could potentially be a pressing trigger in the attacking third.

One of his biggest weaknesses is his one-vs-one ability. The Algerian gets beaten easily by tricky wingers and that is an area where he needs a lot of improvement.

Hamache does look more comfortable with freedom and using him as a wing-back could get more out of him. However, he is still 22 and there is a long way ahead of him. Despite his flaws, his strengths are even more scalable and he might be a good option for the future.

Nahuel Ferraresi – Manchester City

There is an abundance of talent in South America and Nahuel Ferraresi is certainly part of that wave. The 23-year-old Venezuelan centre-back has been on loan at Estoril this season from Manchester City U23s. Although he doesn’t have an elite ceiling from the looks of it, he is destined to be a very good squad player.

Taking a look at some of his defensive numbers, it is clear that he is involved in a lot of defensive duels. Ferraresi is 189 cm tall but competes in very few aerial duels. At Estoril, he often was the last man in defence and he is someone who commands and organises. He does not commit himself straight away and tends to use his upper body strength to stand-off players and get tight in duels.

Most importantly, he doesn’t commit many fouls either, especially in dangerous areas. This might be a consequence of him being the last man in turnovers but is an interesting aspect of his data nevertheless.

Ferraresi isn’t particularly fast and could get beaten in a race with pacy attackers. He does have a habit of being lost on the pitch at times and that is something he needs to improve. He does however find his way into the right places to clear danger. A key area for improvement could be his one-vs-one and a slow reaction when the players go past him with quick exchanges.

Despite having flaws defensively, Ferraresi is very good on the ball. He is a progressive passer, as the data would confirm and can carry the ball with a quick turn of pace, even under pressure. It is fair to say that he picked up a lot of these ball-playing skills from the development at City academy.

He loves playing it short more often but also has the ability to break lines with his passing. Him being the deepest man might have influenced the numbers for passes into the final third but he is very well capable of playing people through.

Ferraresi is a starter for the Venezuelan national team, featuring in almost all of Venezuela’s World Cup qualifiers this calendar year. While the jury is out on him making a career at the top level with Manchester City his ability on the ball is a huge asset and would fit Postecoglou's needs for a Celtic centre-back.