Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers was able to splash the cash in the recent summer transfer window to bolster his options across the pitch.
The board spent a club-record fee of £11m to sign Augsburg central midfielder Arne Engels in what was the biggest incoming deal of the window in Scotland.
Ireland international Adam Idah was also brought in for a fee that could rise to £9.5m, with an initial fee of £8.5m, from Norwich City, to bolster the club’s attacking options.
The 6 foot 3 marksman scored eight goals in 15 Scottish Premiership matches last term, during a loan spell at Parkhead, and has scored four goals in nine league outings in the current campaign.
Celtic also swooped to sign the likes of Luke McCowan, Auston Trusty, and Kasper Schmeichel, among others, to give the manager the best possible chance of success this season.
However, the Northern Irish boss’ side was dealt a huge blow when central midfielder Matt O’Riley, who starred for the Hoops last term, was sold to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.
Matt O'Riley's form for Celtic last season
The Denmark international ran the show in the middle of the park for the Scottish giants in the 2023/24 campaign and his move down south left a hole in the midfield.
O’Riley, who was signed by Ange Postecoglou in the 2022 January transfer window, caught the eye with his ability to make a big impact in the final third as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Bhoys.
He ended the season with a phenomenal return of 18 goals and 13 assists in the Premiership, as well as three assists in six outings in the group stage of the Champions League.
Sofascore rating
7.91
1st
Goals
18
1st
Assists
13
1st
Big chances created
14
1st
Key passes per game
2.5
1st
As you can see in the table above, no player in the Celtic squad made a bigger impact at the top end of the pitch for Rodgers than the former Fulham prospect, who excelled as the main man in Glasgow.
This illustrates why his exit was a blow and shows that the Hoops needed to find goals and assists from elsewhere to make up for the contributions he provided.
Callum McGregor has stepped up with five goals in ten league appearances but it remains to be seen whether or not he can keep up that level of goalscoring, whilst Arne Engels is yet to score from open play in the league and Reo Hatate has scored three times without providing an assist.
Rodgers could, however, sign his next O’Riley by swooping for one of the club’s reported transfer targets when the January transfer window opens for business.
Celtic's interest in Championship star
The Boot Room recently reported that Celtic are one of a number of teams interested in a possible swoop for Burnley central midfielder Josh Brownhill.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
His contract with the English Championship side is due to expire at the end of the season and this has put a host of sides on alert to his potential availability in the January transfer window.
The report claimed that the Hoops and Rangers are keen on a deal to snap up the midfielder, who could be a bargain signing with his contract running down, but added that they may not be able to compete with the wages on offer from some of the other clubs in the running.
Premier League sides West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Fulham are all said to be eyeing him up ahead of the second half of the season, whilst teams from abroad have also registered an interest.
The Boot Room reported that Lazio, Fiorentina, and Torino are all prepared to put contracts on the table for him when the January window opens, as he will be available to sign a pre-contract before joining on a free next summer.
Teams in England are not able to do that, given he currently plays in the country, until the end of the season, though, and that provides Celtic, Rangers, and the three Italian sides, with a boost in that respect.
Why Celtic should sign Josh Brownhill
Rodgers must, now, push for the board to strike a bargain deal to sign the 28-year-old midfielder as he could come in as the manager’s next version of O’Riley in the middle of the park.
Brownhill, who was once hailed as “fabulous” by pundit Lee Hendrie, is a technically-gifted midfielder who likes to push forward into the final third to make things happen for his side on a regular basis.
A return of four goals and two assists in 33 Premier League games last season shows that the Englishman is not quite up to the task of producing consistent quality at the top level, but his form in the Championship suggests that the potential is there for him to be a Premiership star.
O’Riley was playing in League One, with MK Dons, before his move to Parkhead and Brownhill has already proven himself as a quality player in the division above that.
Appearances
41
16
Goals
7
5
Big chances missed
4
0
Big chances created
9
3
Assists
8
1
As you can see in the table above, the Burnley star has made an impact as both a scorer and a creator for the Clarets at Championship level in his last two seasons in the league.
His return of 12 goals with only four ‘big chances’ missed shows that he is incredibly efficient in front of goal and could, therefore, thrive in a Celtic team that dominates games and creates plenty of chances in the Premiership.
This means that Brownhill could arrive at Parkhead and increase his output of goals and assists by being part of a dominant and impressive attack, that has scored 35 goals from 35.7 xG in the league this season already.
86% duels lost: Rodgers must drop Celtic player who was worse than Hatate
The Celtic player who must now be in danger of losing his place in the starting XI.
4 ByDan EmeryNov 24, 2024
Therefore, the 28-year-old star could be Rodgers’ next O’Riley by coming in as a midfielder who can contribute with goals and assists on a regular basis from open play.