Celtic divert your attention from Scottish Premiership this weekend as they prepare to host Kilmarnock at Parkhead in their first SFA Cup game of the season.
The Hoops won the competition, thanks to Adam Idaho’s last-minute strike, beating Rangers at Hampden Park at the end of the 2023/24 season, and are looking to retain their crown.
Brendan Rodgers‘ team, of course, have already won a second domestic cup this term, beating their Glasgow rivals on penalties at the National Stadium in the League Cup final last month.
The Bhoys are too 13 points clear top of the Premiership table and are on course to win the Scottish First Division for the fourth consecutive season.
So Rodgers has plenty to be happy about with his squad’s performance this term, but that hasn’t stopped him from wanting to dive into the market to improve his squad.
The January transfer window doesn’t close until early next month, and the Scottish giants are reportedly looking to bolster their options in wide areas before the deadline.
Celtic are looking for a new winger
According to the Daily RecordCeltic are one of the clubs interested in a potential swoop for BK Hacken striker Zeidane Inoussa this month as they look for a new winger to improve the squad.
The report claims that French side St Etienne are also interested in the Swedish youngster and have sent scouts to watch him in action in his homeland this season.
It added that the Hoops have also sent scouts to regularly watch the 22-year-old striker in recent weeks, to gather information on his performances to help them decide whether or not to act on their interest in him.
The Daily Record say Rodgers has made signing a new left-back a priority for the January transfer window as he looks to compete for Daizen Maeda and resolve uncertainty over Luis Palma’s long-term future at Parkhead.
The outlet claim that Celtic are now considering a bid to sign the right-footed wizard to bolster their options at the top of the pitch, just as they did last January when they swooped in to sign Nicolas Kuhn from Rapid Vienna.
It has not been revealed how much Hacken would ask for his Sweden U21 international, but the young gem is estimated at 3 million euros (£2.5m) by Transfermarkt, which could help give a rough estimate of how much Celtic may have to spend to secure his signature before the end of the window.
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Any left winger arriving at Parkhead this month will have to compete with Maeda to secure a starting place in the team, so what do they have to compete against?
Daizen Maeda’s form this season
The Japanese international has grown 14 goals and six assists in 29 appearances in all competitions this season, with six goals and one assist in three matches in the League Cup.
Maeda has been a threat as a goalscorer and creator in all competitions for the Scottish giants, but his form in the Premiership has been far from perfect on the left flank.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Daizen Maeda |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
20 |
|
Goals |
5 |
|
Big chances were missed |
12 |
|
Great chances were created |
5 |
|
Assists |
5 |
As you can see in the table above, the 27-year-old winger averaged a goal or an assist every other game, but his finish was nothing short of impressive.
The Japanese striker missed as many as 12 ‘big chances’ in front of the goal and scored only five times in the Premiership, which shows that he did not take advantage of the quality opportunities that his teammates regularly created for him.
These stats suggest there is scope for the Hoops to find a player who can come in and offer more than Maeda, especially in the league, in the final third.
Why Celtic should sign Inoussa
The Scottish giants should sign Inoussa before the end of the January transfer window as he has the potential to build on the Japanese international on the left wing and could also be a dream signing for Kyogo Furuhashi.
Celtic’s number eight produced ten goals in 15 starts in the Premiership this season, a solid return, but he also spurned an incredible 17 ‘big chances’ in front of goal.
Kyogo is not a clinical striker who will score every chance he gets. However, he is a striker whose movements consistently put him in great positions for his teammates to find him in the final third, which is why he would love to play with Inoussa, who has the quality to find him.
In Allsvenskan 2023, the 22-year-old wizard scored five goals and created four ‘big chances’ in ten appearances for Hacken, and followed that up with even stronger performances in 2024.
|
Statistics |
Inousa (2024 Allsvenskan) |
Maeda (24/25 Premiership) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
22 |
20 |
|
Goals |
6 |
5 |
|
Big chances were missed |
3 |
12 |
|
Great chances were created |
6 |
5 |
|
Key passes per match |
1.6 |
1.3 |
|
Completed dribbles per game |
2.0 |
0.5 |
|
Statistics via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the chart above, Inoussa has the potential to come in as an upgrade on Maeda by being more relentless in front of goal as a finisher and creating opportunities for his teammates more often.
The Swedish U21 international has scored 11 goals and created ten ‘big chances’ in his last 32 league games for Hacken, while Maeda has managed 11 goals and ten ‘big chances’ in his last 48 league outings for Celtic.
Therefore, Kyogo could benefit from playing Inoussa on the left flank rather than Maeda, as this could result in more ‘big chances’ coming his way in the box.
Connected
The signing of the Hacken star would give the Japanese winger serious competition for his place in the side and ensure complacency does not set in during the second half of the season, which could also help the club’s quest for more trophies this term.
