'Good player, but no': Is Edouard Michut someone Celtic should keep in transfer mind?

After agreeing on permanent deals for Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota, the Hoops have also managed to secure exciting Argentine left-back Alexandro Bernabei and Swiss goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist.

However, they still look far from finished as they have been linked with several central midfielders throughout the close-season.

Edouard Michut of Paris Saint-Germain was one of the latest. Sky Sports as well as transfers journalist Fabrizio Romano reported interest from the Parkhead side to the point of club-to-club talks but Ange Postecoglou recently played down those suggestions.

“I have an interest in every good footballer in the world," he said. "But there is a limited market I can tap into. There’s no-one I will dismiss but I don’t want to send someone off on a wild goose chase.

“Good player, but no.”

Is Michut even the type of player who would fit in at Celtic anyway? Is he the brand of midfielder they need right now? Should the club monitor him in case the situation changes in the near future?

To help answer those questions, we've taken a closer look at the 19-year-old...

Who is Edouard Michut?

Nationality: French; Age (DOB): 19 (March 4 2003); Position: Central midfielder; Preferred foot: Right; Height: 5ft 10in

Michut is a midfielder who likes to be involved in the final third as well as roaming in the central areas of the pitch.

The numbers above are from the UEFA Youth League. PSG finished runners-up this past year, losing to RB Salzburg in the final.

Michut was a regular throughout, with over 600 minutes clocked in the last calendar year.

One can infer his passing style from the numbers above: he is comfortable playing forward passes and moving the ball into the final third.

The data for the UEFA Youth League is not, it must be said, of the highest quality so it doesn't pain the whole picture. 

Nonetheless, what we can ascertain is that while Michut is capable of ball progression his style is inclined more towards recycling the ball and ensuring his team keeps possession.

Press-resistance 

One of Michut's best abilities is his press-resistance. He receives the ball well and his sublime first touch helps him take instant control of it even under pressure.

Allied to this, he doesn't panic when the opposition press is coming in numbers and often demonstrates that calmness to evade it.

He is not the type of player who escapes the press and then immediately looks to break lines, instead his focus is primarily on ensuring his team retains the ball.

While his approach could be said to be 'safety-first' most of the time, he is not scared of breaking through the opposition midfield and forcing dangerous situations on occasion.

The images above are taken from the UEFA Youth Cup final, where Michut drops into space to receive while drawing multiple opposition players to him. He then takes a superb first touch to move away from this attempt at a press, giving him more time to pick out a wide runner. The awareness and quick decision-making required in this type of sequence are huge positives.

Passing excellence

The above image exemplifies his abilities when receiving the ball, setting it up perfectly with his first touch and distributing it well first-time. In addition, Michut is excellent at dropping in between the lines and turning to create attacking situations where possible.

The images above are from two different situations. Michut smartly picks up spaces in between the opposition midfield line and, when he receives, has already set his body shape accordingly to make a forward move towards the goal.

The 19-year-old’s body language is always an open stance, looking to receive the ball whether it's in the build-up or the final attacking phase.

Michut is an excellent passer on the ground and over short distances but he also has the ability to clip balls, especially shorter cross-field and diagonals, to find full-backs or wingers. The weight of the passes is generally good, making it easier for the receiver to control.

The French youngster’s passing, press resistance and reception are great - but all three are aided by his constant scanning of the pitch.

Michut looks around before he even receives the ball which accelerates his decision-making when on it.

Although he mainly roams and gets involved in the attacking end of the midfield third, he does relieve his team by dropping deep to collect the ball from centre-backs and facilitate the build-up when required too.

For instance, Michut has had excellent on-pitch chemistry with his team-mate Xavi Simons and the above images are shots from one of those moments that ended up in Simons assisting Michut for a beautiful link-up goal.

Michut drops into space, drawing his nearest defender as the ball is played to Simons, who is more central. Michut makes an early move to get behind his man, expecting Simons to make something happen. Simons provides a perfectly-weighted backheel that takes out the defence and gives Michut a one-v-one shooting chance against the keeper.

The Frenchman is also good at playing quick one-twos in the centre of the park and is quite vocal in midfield. He is not shy of getting into the box when presented with an opportunity, always looking to find space when he does.

The above are clips from the UEFA Youth Cup final again, where Michut manages to make a run into the box without any marker before getting a free header away.

A goal here would have perhaps given PSG a firmer hold of the game but his willingness to wriggle out from players and make quick runs into the box goes a little unnoticed.

Out of possession

Michut is a little weak on the defensive side. His lack of physicality is one of his most significant drawbacks and it can be seen when watching him that he's still a bit lightweight.

There's a shortage of aggression and assertiveness regarding defensive duels too; the physicality in the Premiership would require much improvement in these areas.

However, the 19-year-old is an exceedingly intelligent player and so is active at covering up when there is a turnover and quickly rushes to help his team in that regard.

Additionally, it should be noted that despite his quickness he also lacks what could be termed the 'explosiveness' which could really elevate him to another level.

Conclusions

Whether now or in the future, any deal Celtic could strike for Michut that costs the club around £3million could prove to be a smart one.

Michut will only improve as he is exposed to first-team minutes and, with Postecoglou's track record of enhancing his players, he would indeed level up at Parkhead.

There are always plenty of minutes to go around in a team like Celtic, competing on all fronts and looking to make an impact in Europe. If a move were to materialise at any point then Michut would be in a position to compete for a substantial amount of game-time under Postecoglou's tutelage.

For now it's a case of 'good player, yes, but Ange Postecoglou says no'.