With the January transfer window on the horizon, it could well prove to be a nervy month for those of a Celtic persuasion, with talk already rife regarding significant interest in emerging superstar, Nicolas Kuhn.
Reportedly on the list for the likes of Premier League side Brentford – amid suggestions of a £25m price tag – the German has caught the attention after a stunning start to the campaign, scoring ten goals and providing a further 11 assists in just 17 games in all competitions.
Having been signed for roughly £3m back in January this year, the Hoops look set to make a significant profit on the 24-year-old in the near future, albeit amid the hope of keeping the wing wizard on board for a good few years yet.
Debate over whether or not the former Rapid Vienna star will leave in the winter is perhaps for another day, with it instead best to celebrate the impact that Kuhn is making in the here and now.
Season
Player
Games
Goals
2024/25*
Nicolas Kuhn
17
10
2023/24
Matt O’Riley
49
19
2023/24
Kyogo Furuhashi
50
19
2022/23
Kyogo Furuhashi
50
34
2021/22
Kyogo Furuhashi
33
20
2020/21
Odsonne Edouard
40
22
2019/20
Odsonne Edouard
47
29
Praise should most certainly be directed toward the recruitment team and manager Brendan Rodgers, with the club having enjoyed a fair few hits in the market of late, despite some early misses…
Rodgers' recent Celtic signings
The Northern Irishman’s second stint in charge at Parkhead began in auspicious fashion, with the summer window in 2023 going down like a lead balloon.
Among those signed, Gustaf Lagerbielke has since been shipped on loan to FC Twente – with Hyeok-kyu Kwon also now at Hibernian – while Marco Tilio returned to Australia faster than you could blink.
Equally, both Maik Nawrocki and Odin Holm have still yet to settle after making just four appearances combined this term, while Luis Palma has also tumbled down the pecking order after starting just two games so far in 2024/25.
Those may be the negatives, but it has been a largely positive tale since then, with Kuhn arriving in January, before the likes of Kasper Schmeichel were added in the most recent window.
The experienced Dane – who was acquired on a free transfer – has since kept 11 clean sheets in just 18 outings in all competitions, while ahead of him, young loanee Alex Valle has slotted in smoothly, with three assists to his name already.
More will be expected of £9.5m man, Adam Idah, in attack, after a return of just five goals thus far, although in the midfield ranks, the Matt O’Riley void has been somewhat filled with the additions of Arne Engels, Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan.
One further capture that certainly raised a few eyebrows was that of Auston Trusty, but the former Sheffield United man is swiftly repaying his £6m transfer fee.
The Celtic star who's on par with a £68m sensation
Celtic supporters may have been fearing a Lagerbielke or Nawrocki repeat when Trusty rocked up in Glasgow over the summer, with the centre-back ranks having endured something of a merry-go-round of late.
Early performances were hardly too inspiring either, with the United States international looking uncomfortable lining up in a right centre-back berth, in the absence of compatriot Cameron Carter-Vickers, having notably been part of the side that shipped seven away in Dortmund.
That said, ever since the heroic performance in Bergamo against Europa League holders, Atalanta – which pundit Frank McAvennie described as his “best game for Celtic” – the lanky left-footer has looked far more composed, having ousted the reliable Liam Scales as the starting partner to Carter-Vickers.
The Premiership may not always provide the strongest test, but Trusty has shown his class, and then some, on the Champions League stage, having also been “phenomenal” in the deserved 3-1 win over RB Leipzig earlier this month, as per Chris Sutton.
It is performances like that which have ensured that the one-time Arsenal man – who notably shackled a certain Benjamin Sesko when facing the Bundesliga side – now ranks as the top defensive centre-back outside of Europe’s top five leagues, as per the great minds at CIES Football Observatory.
Interestingly, that top ten list also includes Sporting CP sensation, Ousmane Diomande, with the Ivorian starlet placing just behind Trusty in third, having also dazzled in Portugal of late under Ruben Amorim’s watch.
Why is this important? Well, it is worth noting that Diomande – like Kuhn – is courting the attention of clubs across Europe, with the likes of Arsenal and Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur both chasing the 20-year-old, who boasts a £68m release clause in his contract.
Again, it is not as if the Old Firm side will – or should – be contemplating making a possible profit on Trusty so soon into his Parkhead stint, yet that comparison to Diomande illustrates the impact he is making in his new surroundings.
A £68m valuation is fanciful for the American machine, but what can be said is that perhaps the centre-back’s £6m fee no longer looks that hefty. Instead, if current performances are anything to go by, it could prove a bargain.
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