Celtic lining up “phenomenal” big-money transfer

Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers will surely be delighted with the way his team have started the 2024/25 campaign, as they have been fantastic in all competitions.

They have a League Cup final to look forward to against their Glasgow rivals at Hampden Park later this month, and they have excelled in Europe, with only one defeat in the Champions League so far.

They have beaten Slovan and RB Leipzig, whilst picking up draws against Atalanta and Club Brugge, on the European stage, although they were beaten 7-1 by Borussia Dortmund in Germany.

Domestically, the Hoops have been almost perfect in the Scottish Premiership with a staggering return of 12 wins and one draw in 13 matches, with that one draw coming against second-placed Aberdeen.

Rodgers’ men are the top scorers in the division, with 40 strikes, and have conceded a league-low four goals, as summer signing Kasper Schmeichel has enjoyed a relatively untroubled start to life in Glasgow.

The goalkeeper has had the comfort of watching some tremendous football in front of him, notably from Nicolas Kuhn.

Nicolas Kuhn’s form this season

The German wizard has enjoyed a sensational start to the season on the right wing for the Scottish giants, with his contributions as both a scorer and a creator of goals in all competitions.

Domestically and in Europe, Kuhn has made a huge impact at the top end of the pitch and is currently on a tally of 11 goals and 11 assists in 19 appearances across the Premiership, the Champions League, and the League Cup.

The left-footed magician’s creativity has not always been rewarded, however, as his four ‘big chances’ created in Europe have only resulted in one goal scored.

As you can see in the table above, Kuhn has provided consistent quality in the Premiership and is a menace to opposition defenders, as he can go down the outside to create chances or inside to take shots and score goals.

Across the Premiership and the Champions League, the former Bayern Munich youngster has created ten ‘big chances’ and been rewarded with seven assists, which suggests that he could benefit from having another teammate in the squad with impressive finishing skills.

That player could well be lurking in Denmark…

Celtic interested in Danish marksman

According to Football Insider, Rodgers is lining up a Celtic swoop to sign Brondby sensation Mathias Kvistgaarden ahead of the second half of the season.

The report claims that the Scottish giants have ‘set their sights’ on bringing the 22-year-old marksman to Parkhead to bolster the manager’s options at the top end of the pitch.

After Hyeon-gyu Oh was sold to Genk in the summer transfer window, Celtic currently only have two senior centre-forward options at their disposal – in Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah – and the arrival of a third would provide added competition in the number nine position.

Football Insider reports that the Premiership champions have been sending scouts to keep tabs on the Brondby striker in the Danish Superliga this season, as they have been monitoring his performances.

It states that the club are long-term admirers of the young attacker and that they are prepared to be patient in their pursuit of Kvistgaarden, by waiting until the next summer transfer window if they are unable to convince Brondby to part ways with their star forward midway through the campaign.

The outlet adds that Rodgers wants to bolster his squad to ensure that they remain competitive and adds that Motherwell star Lennon Miller is another player on the club’s radar, with both him and Kvistgaarden seemingly on the agenda ahead of the next window.

Celtic were also reported to be interested in the Brondby number nine in the summer and a price of €10m (£8.3m) was mentioned at the time, but it remains to be seen how much the Hoops are prepared to pay to land their target.

If they can secure a deal to land the Denmark U21 international when the January transfer window opens for business, Rodgers could sign a dream partner for Nicolas Kuhn.

Why Celtic should sign Mathias Kvistgaarden

One of the reasons why the Hoops should secure a deal to sign Kvistgaarden next month is that his current form suggests that he could thrive on the creativity that Kuhn provides from the right flank.

The 22-year-old ace came through the ranks at Brondby and emerged as a huge talent with a return of 31 goals and 11 assists in 45 appearances for their U19 team, before coming into the first-team set-up.

Kvistgaarden did not hit the ground running at senior level, with just six goals and one assist in his first 40 Superliga games, but has managed 24 goals and 15 assists in the 44 league outings since.

His form across all competitions this season has been particularly impressive. The Danish sensation has scored 13 goals and provided five assists in 20 outings for Brondby.

Kvistgaarden, who was hailed as “phenomenal” and “super consistent” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, could come in as an upgrade on Kyogo, based on their respective league form.

As you can see in the table above, the Brondby star has scored twice as many goals whilst missing fewer than half as many ‘big chances’ as the Japan international at league level, along with providing a greater creative threat.

These statistics suggest that Kvistgaarden would be more likely to make the most of the chances that Kuhn creates from the wing, whilst also creating more opportunities for the German maestro to find the back of the net.

Celtic should also sign the £8.3m-rated gem because, at 22, he has plenty of years left to develop and improve and could be a fantastic asset for Rodgers and the club moving forward.