Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers dipped into the market during the January transfer window to make two new additions to his first-team squad.
The Northern Irish boss brought in German winger Nicolas Kuhn on a permanent deal from Austrian side Rapid Wien and Republic of Ireland international Adam Idah on loan from English outfit Norwich City until the end of the season, with no option to buy.
However, the Hoops also reportedly wanted a goalkeeper and a left-back to bolster their options before they then targeted a central midfielder on deadline day after David Turnbull's permanent move to Cardiff City.
Unfortunately, they could not land any of their targets in those three positions and have had to make do with Kuhn and Idah as their only signings of the window.
The Irish centre-forward has already hit the ground running with five goals and one assist in six Scottish Premiership outings for the Hoops but the former Rapid Wien star has not been as impressive.
Kuhn's slow start to life in Scotland has not been helped by Mikey Johnston – who was sent out on loan to West Bromwich Albion in January – being on fire in England, as the Irish forward currently looks like an upgrade on the recent signing.
Nicolas Kuhn's Celtic stats so far
The 24-year-old whiz was brought in on a five-and-a-half-year deal earlier this year for a reported fee of £3m after a strong first half of the season with his former club.
He had produced two goals and five assists, along with having created 11 'big chances' for his teammates, in 16 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga before his move to Parkhead.
Kuhn has not hit the ground running in Scotland, however, as he has only managed one goal and zero assists in five Premiership matches so far.
The left-footed dynamo did, however, score on his second appearance for the club. He came off the bench against Aberdeen to rifle in a deflected effort, assisted by Idah, to secure a 1-1 draw for the Bhoys.
Appearances
5
Unused substitute
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Big chances created
0
Pass accuracy
73%
However, as you can see in the table above, the forward has not kicked on since that goal at Pittodrie, with zero goals, zero assists, and zero 'big chances' created in the subsequent three matches.
The German attacker was then an unused substitute against both Dundee and Hearts, which speaks to how unimpressed Rodgers was with his performances on the pitch, before he registered an assist against Livingston in the SFA Cup last weekend.
This means that Kuhn has contributed with one goal and one assist in seven appearances in all competitions since his move to Scotland in January, which is one direct goal contribution every 3.5 outings on average.
He was brought in to bolster the club's wide options after Johnston, and others, did not earn regular game time during the first half of the season.
Mikey Johnston's Celtic stats this season
The Ireland international was not offered many opportunities to showcase his quality for Celtic before Rodgers allowed him to join West Brom on loan during the last transfer window.
Johnston started three times and featured in nine games in the Premiership during the first half of the campaign, as he was stuck behind the likes of Daizen Maeda, Hyun-jun Yang, and Luis Palma in the pecking order.
The academy graduate did, however, show glimpses of his quality in those limited minutes on the pitch. He chipped in with two goals and two 'big chances' created in three starts, to go along with an 85% pass accuracy.
Both of those goals came in a stunning 11-minute cameo against Dundee in the Premiership in December as he scored two goals, registered three shots on target, and completed 95% of his passes to earn a 9.5 Sofascore rating in the 3-0 win.
The 24-year-old whiz's impressive displays were not, however, enough to convince Rodgers that he deserved more – or regular – minutes on the pitch moving forward, which is why a loan move to the Baggies was then sanctioned after Kuhn was brought in from Rapid Wien.
Why Mikey Johnston is an upgrade on Nicolas Kuhn
Johnston has been in fantastic form in the English Championship since his move to the Hawthorns earlier this year, and his statistics for Carlos Corberan's side suggest that Celtic already have an upgrade on Kuhn ahead of the summer.
The right-footed gem has been on fire for West Brom as they compete to secure promotion to the Premier League, with a return of six goals and one assist in nine league appearances.
Corberan hailed the 5 foot 9 wizard as "very special" and it is not hard to see why when you look at his recent form, as the talented star has scored four goals and provided one assist in his last three Championship games.
Appearances
9
5
Starts
6
2
Goals
6
1
Assists
1
1
Big chances created
1
0
Pass accuracy
82%
73%
As you can see in the table above, Johnston has significantly outperformed Kuhn in the final third throughout 2024 so far, with six more goals and 'big chances' created combined.
In total, the Irish dynamo has scored eight goals and created three 'big chances' in nine starts and 18 league appearances for Celtic and West Brom combined this season.
That is a return of a goal or 'big chance' created every 1.64 matches on average. Whereas, Kuhn has managed one in seven outings for the Hoops, and a goal or an assist every 3.5 clashes on average, which illustrates the gulf in class between the two at the top end of the pitch.
The Glasgow-born magician currently ranks within the top 1% of Championship attacking midfielders and wingers for non-penalty goals (1.05) per 90, and the top 6% for progressive carries (5.27) per 90, which shows that he also looks to bring the ball forward for his team with driving runs.
Overall, Rodgers appears to already have an upgrade on Kuhn to bring back into the first-team squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign as Johnston's loan spell in England has been a roaring success so far.
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Hopefully, the academy graduate will return to Parkhead an improved player and prove himself to offer more than the German winger with his superior ability to score and create goals on a regular basis, as evidenced by their respective form this year, to bolster Celtic's side next term.
