The January transfer window officially opens for business at the start of next month and it remains to be seen how active Celtic will be in the market.
Brendan Rodgers made two additions to his first-team squad in the winter window at the start of 2024, signing Nicolas Kuhn on a permanent deal from Rapid Vienna and Adam Idah on loan from Norwich City, before landing the Ireland international on a permanent basis in the summer.
At that point, Celtic had been knocked out of the League Cup and the Champions League, having endured a difficult first half of the campaign, which meant that they had to make moves to bolster their squad.
This time around, however, the Hoops are nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, have already won the League Cup, and are in contention to finish in the play-off places in the new-look Champions League format.
Despite Celtic’s impressive form across all competitions so far this season, the Bhoys are reportedly still looking at making at least one signing to come in and add further depth to Rodgers’ options ahead of the second half of the season.
Celtic pushing to sign Premier League star
According to The Telegraph’s Sam Dean, the Hoops are pushing to sign Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney when the January transfer window opens next month.
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The reporter claims that the Scottish giants are keen to bring the defender back to Parkhead, where he made his breakthrough in senior football.
He adds that they are prepared to battle with Premier League clubs to secure his signature, which means that they will need to convince him to turn down chances to remain in the English top-flight in order to make the move back to Glasgow.
This is backed up by Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph, who claims that the Hoops are considering a swoop to sign the Scotland international ahead of the second half of the season.
He reveals, however, that the Premiership champions are exploring multiple options, as they are weighing up whether to sign him on loan in January or on a pre-contract that would see him join on a free transfer next summer.
Joseph adds that Arsenal are prepared to listen to offers for Tierney in the January transfer window and they are not expected to trigger their option to extend his contract by 12 months, which means that he will be a free agent at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
Celtic must, now, convince the Scotland international to return to Parkhead for a second spell, because he could come in as a fantastic addition to bolster the squad.
Why Celtic should sign Kieran Tierney
The 27-year-old star came up through the youth ranks in Glasgow before he made his way into the first-team and established himself as a key player in his first stint at the club.
Tierney amassed 170 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants throughout his time with Celtic, before his move to Arsenal in the summer of 2019.
As you can see in the graphic above, the left-back was sold to the Gunners for £25m after he had won an impressive five Premiership titles at first-team level with the Hoops.
Tierney, who was once dubbed a “super talented” player by Rodgers, showcased his ability to break forward from a full-back position to make an impact in the final third throughout his time with Celtic, as shown by his return of 45 direct goal contributions in 170 matches.
Rodgers should look to bring him back to the club because he could come in to offer more than Greg Taylor in the final third, which may seem a funny thing to say after the ex-Kilmarnock man scored in the League Cup final last weekend.
The current Celtic left-back, however, has scored nine goals and provided 30 assists in 194 appearances for the club in all competitions, which is an average of one goal contribution every 4.95 matches – compared to Tierney’s one every 3.78 outings for the Hoops.
These statistics suggest that the potential is there for the Arsenal outcast to come in and provide a greater threat in the final third from a full-back role, which could make him the perfect partner for Daizen Maeda in the second half of the season.
Why Kieran Tierney is perfect for Daizen Maeda
You know what you are going to get with the Japan international in terms of what he does out of possession, as his pressing and defensive work is sensational.
Rodgers once claimed that the left winger has “the work rate of two players” and hailed the forward’s impressive mentality to constantly close down and harass opposition defenders.
However, the 27-year-old attacker’s use of the ball in the final third lets him down at times. His defensive work is consistently impressive, but his end product at the top end of the pitch is inconsistent at best.
Maeda scored six goals and missed a whopping 12 ‘big chances’ in 28 appearances in the Premiership last season, whilst averaging just 0.5 key passes per game.
The Japanese winger was incredibly wasteful in front of goal and rarely created chances for his teammates from a left wing position, and not too much has changed this time around.
Appearances
14
Goals
2
Big chances missed
7
Key passes per game
1.2
Assists
3
As you can see in the table above, Maeda has offered more creativity for the team but has struggled, once again, as a finisher, with two goals and seven ‘big chances’ missed.
This is why Tierney could be the perfect signing for Maeda, as the Scottish defender can constantly push forward on the overlap so that the winger can play the ball down the line to him.
The Arsenal dynamo can then use his quality in the final third to offer a threat as a scorer and a creator, which could help to make up for the Japan international’s struggles in that area of the game.
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1 ByDan EmeryDec 18, 2024