Rodgers devises Celtic move for Kuhn 2.0

Celtic quickly return to action in Scottish Premiership after Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Dundee United while they play Ross County away on Saturday.

The Hoops secured a comfortable win at Parkhead during the week, thanks to goals from Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate, and are now 15 points clear at the top of the table.

Brendan Rodgers will be delighted with his side’s performance at home this season, while the Scottish giants have also lost just once in six Champions League games.

The Northern Ireland boss, however, is tasked with ensuring his side remain consistent and enjoy a similar second half to the season, in order to add more trophies to their reign.

Rodgers could use the January transfer window, which officially opened last week, to do just that, adding extra quality to his squad over the next few weeks.

In fact, the Celtic manager is said to be keen to bring in a new striker to bolster his upper-field options ahead of the deadline at the start of next month.

Celtic are eyeing a new striker

According to the Italian edition Il Messaggero, as reported by Sports WitnessCeltic are interested in signing Lazio winger Gustaf Isaksen in January.

Rodgers plans to sign the 23-year-old striker after failing to get over the line to bring him to Parkhead in the summer transfer window.

Celtic allegedly wanted to sign the Danish wizard in the summer in the final week before the deadline, but failed to seal a deal for his services, ending that window without signing the acclaimed winger.

This latest report from Il Messagger claims the Scottish Premiership champions are now back in for him, while Serie A side Bologna are also interested in the young striker, meaning they could face competition for his signature.

The publication adds that Lazio would prefer to sell him at the end of the 2024/25 season, but are ready to cash in on him in January if an acceptable offer arrives on the table before the end of the window.

It reveals the Italian side have set a €15m (£12.5m) price tag for the striker, although there was no mention of how much Celtic or Bologna would be willing to pay for the left-footed specialist.

While it remains to be seen whether the Hoops will go through with a formal bid to sign the winger, it would be an even bigger deal than the one that brought Arne Engels to Parkhead this summer.

The fee Celtic paid for Arne Engels

The Scottish giants broke their club transfer record ahead of the 2023/24 season. having paid reported fee of £11m sign the central midfielder from Augsburg to bolster Rodgers’ options in the middle of the park after Matt O’Riley completed a move to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Celtic had three offers rejected by the Bundesliga side before they finished with the club record, and it could be a similar case with Isaksen – albeit over two windows – after they failed to seal a deal for him in the summer.

Engels produced three goals and two assists in 32 appearances in the German top flight for Augsburg last season, and has increased his output in the final third during his time in Glasgow so far.

As you can see in the table above, the Belgian talent has already bagged six goals in 18 Premiership games this term, providing a potent threat up the pitch from a central midfield position.

Celtic will now be hoping the 21-year-old ace continues to develop and can grow to be worth more than the £11million they invested in him last year.

For a fee of £12.5m, Isaksen would receive an even bigger offer than Engels, but also as another player with time to grow and develop, while he has already shown enough quality in his career to suggest he could be a star player for the Hoops.

Why Celtic should sign Gustav Isaksen

Rodgers should sign the impressive youngster from Lazio as he could be Nicolas Kuhn 2.0 as another incredibly talented left winger.

While it may sound strange for Celtic to sign a similar player to the German specialist when he is still at the club, Isaksen can also play on the left wing or through the middle as a centre-forward. He could be used in all three positions before potentially taking over from the current star if he moves on in the summer.

Kuhn scored 16 goals in 27 games in all competitions for the Bhoys this season, cutting in left-footed from the right, and the Lazio jewel is a player of similar quality.

A Danish sensation that once was hailed as “outstanding” by talent hunter Jacek Kulig, he produced two goals and two assists in 13 league starts for Lazio this season, after returning from three goals and one assist in 12 Serie A starts last season.

However, his form for FC Midtjylland in the 2022/23 season. indicates that he has the potential to make a bigger impact in the upper half of the pitch in a team that dominates games and consistently creates big chances.

As you can see in the table above, Isaksen has been a regular threat in front of goal in the Danish first division and has proven that he can play week in and week out in a dominant team.

These stats suggest that Celtic could uncover another striker of Kuhn’s caliber by signing the £12.5m star, as he could also thrive in Rodgers’ squad and regularly score goals and assists.

So it would be worth the Hoops breaking the bank to do an even bigger deal than the one that brought Engels to the club, whether that happens now or in the summer.