Celtic were dealt a major blow in the summer transfer window by selling German winger Nicolas Kuhn to Serie A side Como for a reported £16.5 million.
The left-footed star has produced 21 goals and 15 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants in the 2024/25 campaign, according to Transfermarkt, following a return of three goals and three assists in 18 games during the second half of the previous season.
Kuhn was signed from Rapid Vienna for a fee of £3 million in January 2024, which proved to be a bargain, and the Hoops struggled to replicate that success with their signings last season.
Celtic rookie rankings for the 2024/25 season
During the 2024/25 campaign, Brendan Rodgers made ten additions to his first team over the summer and winter windows, including eight on permanent contracts.
Arne Engels made headlines by signing for £11 million from Augsburg, a record deal for the club, but he hasn’t quite reached the heights you should expect from a player signed for that kind of money.
The Belgian star has scored three non-penalty goals, nine of them from the penalty spot, and provided 17 assists in 80 appearances in all competitions, according to Transfermarkt, which is a pretty average return considering the money spent on him.
Because of this performance versus expectations aspect, we ranked him fifth out of ten signings, with Kasper Schmeichel, who was the club’s number one for 18 months after joining on a free, Luke McCowan, Jota and Auston Trusty ahead of him.
Meanwhile, we ranked Alex Valle, Jeffrey Schlupp and Viljami Sinisalo, who made his first league appearance of the season on Saturday, at the bottom of the rankings as they rarely or rarely wore a Celtic jersey.
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Ranking Celtic signings in 2024/25 |
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|---|---|
|
Rank |
Player |
|
1 |
Faithful Auston |
|
2 |
Who |
|
3 |
Luke McCowan |
|
4 |
Kasper Schmeichel |
|
5 |
Arne Engels |
|
6 |
Paul Bernardo |
|
7 |
Adam Idah |
|
8 |
Jeffrey Schlupp |
|
9 |
Alex Valle |
|
10 |
Viljami Sinisalo |
As you can see in the table above, Trusty ranks first. Indeed, the £6m signing from Sheffield United has established himself as the main man at the back under Wilfried Nancy, starting every game so far.
The USA international has won 65% of his ground duels and 67% of his aerial duels in the Scottish Premiership this season, according to Sofascore, showing that he has been incredibly dominant in the league.
However, none of these recruits have managed to achieve what Nicolas Kuhn did during his time at Parkhead, and one signing among this summer’s arrivals is set to become their next version of the German.
Celtic’s best signing since Nicolas Kuhn
As mentioned above, the left winger has posed a huge threat high up the pitch for the Scottish giants, and none of last season’s additions have yet managed to replace him.
However, Celtic hit the jackpot when they signed Benjamin Nygren from Nordsjaelland for a fee of £1.3 million this summer, as he appears to be their best signing since Kuhn.
The Sweden international has taken over at Parkhead to provide a regular threat in the final third, whether from the right wing, central midfield or attacking midfield.
Nygren became the first Celtic team player, according to Transfermarkt, to reach double figures in goals in all competitions when he scored twice in the win over Livingston in the Premiership on Saturday.
As well as his goalscoring quality, the £25,000-a-week star also provided five assists for the team. Only Kieran Tierney (six) and Daizen Maeda (six) have produced more assists, according to Transfermarkt.
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Premiership by 90 |
Kuhn (24/25) |
Nygren (25/26) |
|---|---|---|
|
xG |
0.46 |
0.60 |
|
Goals |
0.62 |
0.72 |
|
Shots on target |
1:30 p.m. |
1.53 |
|
shah |
0.34 |
0.31 |
|
Opportunities created |
2.49 |
2.42 |
|
Aids |
0.43 |
0.18 |
|
Stats via FotMob |
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As you can see from the table above, Nygren’s current level of performance is very similar to that produced by Kuhn in the Premiership last season, with similar chance creation figures and much worse finishing from his teammates.
These stats illustrate the incredible impact the Swedish star has had in Glasgow this season, as he poses an exceptional threat both as a goalscorer and goal creator.
No Celtic player has produced more goals and assists (15) than Nygren in all competitions, and he has already scored more non-penalty goals for the club than Jota (since his return), Engels, Bernardo and McCowan.
Therefore, it’s fair to say that he currently looks like the best signing since Kuhn, especially considering the £1.3 million fee he was signed for, due to his impressive performances this season.
Not just Ralston: Celtic flop must never start again under Nancy
Celtic beat a spirited Livingston after a first-half thriller on Saturday afternoon.
