Celtic could sign their next Kuhn with swoop for exciting £5m star

Celtic are at present on track to get pleasure from an outstanding season throughout all competitions in Brendan Rodgers‘ second marketing campaign on the membership since his return in the summertime of 2023.

The Northern Irish head coach gained the SFA Cup and the Scottish Premiership title in his first yr again, however was knocked out of the Champions League within the group levels and didn’t win the League Cup.

Celtic have already lifted the League Cup this time period, beating Rangers on penalties final month, and are in place to qualify for the knockout levels of the Champions League heading into their final two matches within the league part.

Which means that the Hoops have the prospect to get pleasure from much more success this time round than they did final season, if they’ll keep their present kind throughout all competitions.

Rodgers has been helped by the summer time enterprise carried out by the membership forward of this time period, with the likes of Arne Engels, Auston Trusty, and Luke McCowan, amongst others, all coming in.

Nevertheless, it’s one in all his January recruits from the switch window final yr who has stepped as much as star for the Scottish giants within the 2024/25 marketing campaign to this point.

Nicolas Kuhn’s kind this season

Rodgers swooped to signal Nicolas Kuhn from Austrian facet Speedy Vienna in January 2024 on a everlasting deal and he had the primary 5 months or so to settle into life in Glasgow.

The German ahead contributed with two goals and two assists in 14 league appearances in the course of the second half of that season, which exhibits that the winger didn’t hit the bottom operating as a constant star for the Hoops.

Nevertheless, after that preliminary adaptation interval and a pre-season, Kuhn has been on fireplace for Celtic throughout all competitions within the 2024/25 marketing campaign, together with his potential as a scorer and a creator of targets making him a vital participant for Rodgers.

The 24-year-old wizard has racked up a tremendous return of 16 goals and 11 assists in 27 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, which implies that he has averaged a objective or an help each match.

He has been notably spectacular within the Premiership, scoring twice within the latest 3-0 win over St Mirren, as a constant risk within the remaining third for the league leaders.

As you may see within the desk above, Kuhn has produced extra targets and ‘large probabilities’ created mixed than he has managed league begins for Celtic, which speaks to how a lot high quality the winger has offered on the prime finish of the pitch.

The left-footed star has now laid out the blueprint for how you can conduct a profitable January signing when bringing in a younger participant from overseas, as he wanted a couple of months to adapt earlier than having the ability to hit the bottom operating this season.

Rodgers might signal his subsequent Kuhn by swooping to signal one in all Celtic’s present switch targets in an identical transfer to the one which introduced the German to Parkhead final yr.

Celtic’s curiosity in wing wizard

Final month, Norwegian sports outlet Nettavisen reported that Celtic are one of many groups interested in a swoop for Sarpsborg attacker Sondre Orjasaeter within the January switch window.

The Hoops are eager to safe a deal to signal the Norway U21 worldwide to bolster their choices on the left flank, though there was no point out of how a lot the Norwegian facet need for his providers.

Orjasaeter is valued at £5m by Transfermarkt and which will present some perception into the sort of payment that may very well be wanted to land his signature forward of the second half of the season.

Rodgers is reportedly eager to herald a brand new left winger to compete with Daizen Maeda for a spot within the beginning line-up, and the Sarpsborg attacker suits the invoice as a right-footed ahead who predominantly performs on the left facet of the assault.

Celtic might, now, repeat the masterclass they performed with Kuhn final yr by swooping for one more younger winger from overseas in a January switch window.

Why Celtic ought to signal Sondre Orjasaeter

Just like the German magician, Orjasaeter is a younger expertise with potential to develop and develop over time to return, as he solely turned 21 in November.

Which means that expectations may be low at first, as they have been when Kuhn failed to right away produce constant performances, and the winger might use the second half of this season to settle in and regulate to life in Scotland earlier than, hopefully, pushing on subsequent time period.

The Sarpsborg starlet being a right-footed left winger additionally implies that he can play on the other facet to the present Celtic ace and Rodgers might have two mercurial abilities on both flank, if the membership can maintain maintain of Kuhn in the summertime.

Soccer expertise scout Jacek Kulig as soon as described the teenager as an “interesting” player and his kind within the Eliteserien backs that up, as he has been in spectacular kind for a participant of his age.

As you may see within the desk above, Orjasaeter has contributed with ten targets and assists in 28 appearances within the league this season, which exhibits that he can present high quality as each a scorer and a creator of targets.

The £5m-rated star ought to have extra assists to his identify however his teammates have let him down at occasions with their wasteful ending, scoring 5 occasions from 12 ‘large probabilities’ created.

These statistics counsel that the muse is there for Orjasaeter to be developed into Celtic’s subsequent model of Kuhn, as he has the power to attain and create targets however wants to search out extra consistency in his finish product within the remaining third.

This is the reason Rodgers should push for the board to get a deal over the road for the promising younger expertise earlier than the tip of the January switch window.

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