The January transfer window officially opened on Wednesday and Celtic they now have the chance to dive into the market to improve their options ahead of the second half of the season.
They are already linked with a number of attacking players who could improve Brendan Rodgersteam, including Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
The Hoops are also linked with two players on the left side of the pitch, with reported interest in Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney and Sarspborg winger Sondre Orjasaeter.
Celtic have also been touted for a move for a new centre-forward who will come in and compete with Adam Idaho and Kyoga Furuhashi, with Brondby’s Mathias Kvistgaarden said he was on their radar.
That means it is Scottish Premiership the champions could be busy this month as they look to bring in a few new players to bolster their squad before the deadline.
However, bringing in players will mean others will have to be moved away from Parkhead to make room for new recruits to come through the door, with one player reportedly already on the verge of leaving.
Odin Thiago Holm is closing in on the Celtic exit
According to GIVEMESPORT reporter Tom BogertMLS side LAFC ‘finalize’ deal to sign Celtic central midfielder Odin Thiago Holm on loan.
The journalist, however, did not reveal whether the Norwegian jewel will join on a year-long loan, as the MLS campaign takes place annually and not seasonally, or until the end of the Scottish season in May.
Holm joined the Hoops from Valerenga in the summer of 2023 and has failed to establish himself as a regular for the Scottish giants over the past 18 months at Parkhead.
The young gem, who turns 22 later this month, came behind Callum McGregor, Rea Hatate, Arne Engels, Luke McCowan and Paul Bernard in the pecking order for central midfield positions, with Matt O’Riley and Tomoki Iwata ahead of him last season before than their departures are in the summer.
This has meant that his playing time has been incredibly limited since his move to Glasgow last year, and the youngster has not made the best of the opportunities that have come his way.
|
Odin Thiago Holm (Premiership) |
23/24 |
24/25 |
|---|---|---|
|
Performances (starts) |
9 (2) |
3 (0) |
|
minute |
228 |
24 |
|
Goals |
0 |
0 |
|
Assists |
1 |
0 |
|
Adding accuracy |
83% |
71% |
|
Duel success rate |
46% |
33% |
As you can see in the chart above, Holm hasn’t been outstanding defensively or offensively in the middle of the park when given the opportunity, which may be why he’s struggled to get more minutes on the court.
So it makes sense to send the 21-year-old midfielder on loan to LAFC so he can go and hopefully play regular MLS football to develop as a player and hone his skills, ready to return to Celtic in the future to have another chance to become a beginner.
He may not be the only Hoops man to make the switch from Glasgow this month though, as another player is reportedly attracting interest from elsewhere.
Celtic’s defender is in the Champions League
According to journalist Mark HendryCroatian giants Dinamo Zagreb are showing interest in Celtic’s left back Greg Taylor in the January transfer window.
The journalist claims that Dinamo watched the Scottish international and identified him as a target for potential entry and strengthening of their team ahead of the second part of the season.
67Companion report HailHail from Hendry adds that Dinamo want to take advantage of his current contract situation at Parkhead, with the defender expiring in the summer.
It reveals Rodgers would like to keep hold of the left-footed ace by tying him down to a contract extension, but Taylor is yet to commit to a new contract and that has attracted interest from elsewhere.
With his contract expiring, Dinamo could negotiate a pre-contract with the Scottish star that would see him join them for free in the summer.
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However, they could also take advantage of the situation to take advantage of a cheaper permanent deal this month, so they could strengthen their squad for the second half of this term rather than waiting six months.
Why Celtic should sell Greg Taylor
After allowing Holm to move on, Rodgers must brutally chase Taylor out of the squad and abandon his desire to keep the full-back on an extended contract.
Dinamo’s interest in the defender gives the club an opportunity to collect some money on a player who would otherwise go for nothing in the summer.
His departure would also provide a platform for Barcelona loanee Alex Valle to become first choice in the position, and his performances so far this season suggest there is potential for him to be an upgrade on Taylor.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Greg Taylor |
Alex Valle |
|---|---|---|
|
It starts |
12 |
6 |
|
Assists |
4 |
3 |
|
Key passes per match |
1.4 |
1.8 |
|
Adding accuracy |
88% |
88% |
|
Dribbled per match |
0.5x |
0.4x |
As you can see in the table above, the Spaniard offered more as a creative threat, with more assists and more key passes per game, and was dribbled less often by opposing wingers.
Selling Taylor would also save a good chunk of wages for the Scottish giants. On salary Sportthe left-back is on £15k-a-week and that’s three times more than Liam Scales, on £5k-a-week.
This is despite the Ireland international offering more teams on the field this season, winning 74% of his defensive duels in 16 league appearances, compared to Taylor’s 51% success rate of the duel in 14 league games.
These stats show that the full-back isn’t the strongest when it comes to winning one-on-one duels on the left flank, compared to Scales’ dominant defence, and his sale could allow the club to sign a new player in that role who will offer more in that area of the game.
Connected
It is now up to Rodgers to sanction the sale of the club’s brutally bin Taylor, offering Valle more minutes while opening the door to bringing in a new player.
