It will be interesting to see how the summer transfer window unfolds for Celtic ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, as Brendan Rodgers enters his third season back at Parkhead.
The Northern Irish head coach has failed to land the treble, falling short with two out of three trophies in both of his two seasons, since returning to Glasgow in the summer of 2023.
He may want to push for most domestic success, as well as pushing on in the Champions League, and big signings could contribute to that, including the addition of Kieran Tierney.
The Scotland international is the only confirmed incoming of the window for the Hoops so far, as the left-back will officially sign for the club at the start of next month after his contract at Arsenal expires.
It has been six years since Tierney left the Scottish Premiership giants to sign for the Gunners in a reported £25m deal, and now he is returning for nothing.
Whilst the experienced defender is coming in as a high-profile signing for Celtic, the club have had success in plucking out lesser-known gems, including from the lower leagues in England, with Matt O’Riley a recent example of that.
How Celtic hit the jackpot with Matt O'Riley
The English-born central midfielder was playing for MK Dons in the 2021/22 campaign and had racked up seven goals and five assists in 26 appearances in League One heading into the January transfer window.
Despite the fact that he was playing in the third tier of football in England, Celtic were willing to gamble on his talent and reportedly spent £1.5m to sign him from MK Dons in January 2022.
The left-footed magician hit the ground running with four goals and three assists in 16 appearances in the Premiership during the second half of that season under Ange Postecoglou.
O’Riley followed that up with a return of three goals and 12 assists in 38 appearances in the division in the 2022/23 campaign, before really hitting his stride in Rodgers’ first year back in Glasgow.
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, the Denmark international was incredibly influential for the Northern Irish head coach with his contributions at the top end of the pitch from a central midfield position in the Premiership.
O’Riley was the team’s biggest threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals in the league, with 31 combined goals and assists, which led to a move to Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of more than £25m.
Overall, Celtic hit the jackpot with O’Riley, as evidenced by his performances and the huge profit they made on his services, because the club were willing to gamble on a talent from the lower leagues in England.
Celtic's interest in League One starlet
The Scottish giants could repeat that masterclass in the current summer transfer window amid their reported interest in a star who played in League One in the 2024/25 campaign.
GIVEMESPORT reported at the end of last month that Celtic are one of a staggering 26 clubs interested in a deal to sign Kwame Poku when his contract at Peterborough United expires at the end of June.
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The outlet named the Hoops and Rangers as suitors for the Ghana international and noted that they would not have to pay as much in compensation as English clubs would due to UEFA’s cross-border compensation rules.
Championship side Birmingham, who won League One with a whopping 111 points, have already made an offer, via Zoom, to the player’s representatives, though, which means that Celtic could need to move quickly to snap him up.
If the Premiership champions can win the race to land the left-footed star, though, then they could repeat the blinder that they played with Matt O’Riley.
Why Kwame Poku would be a Matt O'Riley repeat
As aforementioned, Celtic hit the jackpot with the Danish midfielder because they were willing to gamble on his form in League One in England translating well to the top tier in Scotland.
O’Riley, as Poku would be, also arrived as a young player with time ahead of him to grow and develop, which was illustrated by the way he grew into becoming a superstar at Parkhead in his final season under Rodgers.
At the age of 23, Poku still has plenty of time left to improve as a player and could be a long-term signing for the Hoops, with a view to them making a significant profit on him in the future.
In fact, Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony believes that he has the potential to be worth £30m: “He’s top drawer. He has everything, a great technique, pace and physicality. He will be a Premier League star in the future and that next move will probably cost £30m.”
Do his performances back up that hype from the Posh owner, though? Poku’s output in the final third in the last two League One seasons suggests that they do.
Appearances
37
27
Goals
11
12
Big chances missed
11
3
Big chances created
10
9
Key passes per game
1.5
1.2
Assists
7
8
As you can see in the table above, the Celtic transfer target has been an incredibly productive forward in the third tier as a right winger for Peterborough, delivering 23 assists and creating 19 ‘big chances’.
The Posh magician, who was hailed as “unplayable” by manager Darren Ferguson, has the potential to be an influential figure at the top end of the pitch for the Hoops because he has the ability to provide goals and assists at an impressive rate.
Whether he will go on to be worth £30m is up for debate but that is the potential that he has, as evidenced by MacAnthony’s comments and his statistics in League One, and that is why it would be a worthwhile gamble by the club.
Celtic have shown that they will take a risk on young players, like O’Riley, and that is why they should repeat that masterclass by pushing to win the race for this third tier starlet.
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