Celtic Transfer Options - Striker

With lots of talk recently about the inevitable departure of Odsonne Edouard from Celtic this summer, I’ll be looking at five players who could possibly come in and replace the Frenchman. The controversial Leigh Griffiths is still at the club along with Swiss striker Albian Ajeti however it is Edouard who has led the line so far this season in competitive action therefore it is unclear whether Ange Postecoglou will put his faith in either Griffiths or Ajeti going into the new season. Kyogo Furuhashi has been brought in from Vissel Kobe however he hasn’t been able to feature due to Covid protocols. It has also been left up for debate whether the Japanese will feature on the left wing or at centre forward in 21/22 for the Hoops. Let’s delve into my latest article and look at five potential strikers for the new campaign. 

Dejan Joveljic - Dejan Joveljic has showed great promise and potential throughout his young career. The 21 year old joined Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2019 after scoring 8 goals in 17 games as an 18 year old for Red Star Belgrade in Serbia. Joveljic was then shipped out on loan to Anderlecht in the January after he signed for Frankfurt after only making 4 appearances in the Bundesliga. It didn’t quite work out for the Serbian in Belgium after Covid struck and he returned to Germany with high hopes for the new season. It was decided he would join Wolfsberger on loan for the 20/21 campaign and it turned out to be a wise move for the striker. In 46 appearances for Wolfsberger across the Austrian Bundesliga, Cup and Europa League, Joveljic scored 20 goals and registered 2 assists. This works out at a goal contribution every 125 minutes for Joveljic last season; greater than Kevin Nisbet, Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, David Turnbull and Mohamed Elyounoussi in the SPFL in 20/21. You may be wondering about Joveljic’s style of play, well, he stands at 5”11 however his runs in behind and intricate style of play make him not much of a physical player. Joveljic still has three years left on his Frankfurt contract although there has been some interest in the two time Serbia cap this summer. LA Galaxy in the MLS have reportedly agreed a €3.5 million fee with Frankfurt for Joveljic after he rejected a move to St. Etienne. This is a distinctly unwonted career move for the Serbian. It should be noted though that nothing is official yet which could leave the door open for Celtic. 

Mohamed Bayo - Celtic have had a plethora of success with French strikers in recent years with Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard. Mohamed Bayo may not be French however the 23 year old plies his trade for Clermont Foot in Ligue 2. Bayo was tasked with replacing club top scorer and second top scorer in Ligue 2 Adrian Grbic after he moved to Lorient in a deal worth £8.1 million (Transfermarkt) last summer. The Guinean has certainly lived up to the challenge after scoring 22 goals and assisting a further 6 in 38 matches in Ligue 2 this season; this worked out at a goal contribution every 110 minutes of football in 20/21. One of Bayo’s main strengths is his powerful bursts of pace and runs in behind defences. However, his physical strength, height, dribbling and close control make him a similar player to Odsonne Edouard. The striker stands at 6”2 and averaged 1.5 successful dribbles per match last season. Bayo is also proficient in creating chances for his teammates, the 23 year old manufactured 1.1 chances per game last season. There could be some concerns over whether Bayo could transform his form from Ligue 2 into a higher level although the fact he scored 14 goals and got 6 assists in 34 matches in the French National League in his two years in the division proves he’s done it previously and there’s nothing that goes to say he couldn’t repeat the feat. Bayo is certainly an affordable player for Celtic and within the club’s price range. Adrian Grbic, who I mentioned earlier, left for £8.1 million with two years left on his deal. Bayo, similarly has two years left on his Clermont Foot contract although the club is now a Ligue 1 side. However, with the ongoing TV and financial crisis in French football could possibly bring the price down. 

Thomas Henry - I’m keeping on with the theme of French players in this article. Thomas Henry is the most senior player on this list of potential strikers and at 26, the Frenchman has already played for five clubs. He joined OH Leuven in Belgium in January of 2019 and he looks to have settled there, however going into his prime, Henry may look to test himself in Europe; Celtic could offer him this. In 73 appearances for Leuven, Henry has scored 43 goals in 73 appearances in both the Belgian top flight and second division. In the top flight and in particular last season, Henry scored 21 goals and assisted a further 5 in 31 games. This worked out at a goal contribution every 106 minutes. Odsonne Edouard averaged either a goal or an assist every 105 minutes in the SPFL in 20/21. One thing Henry would offer that several strikers at Celtic in recent times haven’t is a genuine physical presence and aerial threat. The 26 year old stands at 6”3 and 5 out of his 21 goals last season were headers, this works out at 23.8%; all of Celtic’s strikers scored 34 goals combined in the league last season and 14.7% were headers. It is clear to see what Thomas Henry would bring to Celtic. His current deal with OH Leuven still has two years remaining on it. However, that could mean this is the last chance for the Belgian side to get top dollar for their star man.  

Aaron Boupendza - The only player that will feature on this list that has actually been linked with Celtic is Aaron Boupendza. These links are just because Boupendza scored 22 goals and got 1 assist in 36 games last season; he started 25. These stats were enough to earn him the Golden Boot award in Turkey’s top flight for the 20/21 campaign. Standing at 5”10, Boupendza is not much of an aerial threat however he loves to dribble at defences, using his excellent close control to unlock them. The 24 year old is also a predator in the box. The Gabon international has been compared to his fellow countryman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the the 32 year old even recommended Boupendza to Arsenal. Boupendza has 6 caps for his country, scoring 4 goals. I spoke of Boupendza’s dribbling ability, he averaged 2.6 successful dribbles per match, in the league last season. The top player in the SPFL for successful dribbles per match in 20/21 was Joe Aribo with 1.9. Boupendza is also a threat from range, his long shots and direct free kicks are some of his other aptitudes. The striker is also adept in playing on the left wing, which could make him an even more attractive option for Celtic. Boupendza has just one year left on his current deal with Hatayspor, who finished 6th in the Turkish Super Lig last season. The club’s president recently announced there has been no offers from Turkish clubs for Boupendza; this could open the door for Celtic although Italian side Sassuolo are said to hold an interest. The Gabonese attacker has a market value of £7.65 million according to Transfermarkt however several Turkish outlets say Hatayspor expect a fee of €12 million for Boupendza. In my opinion though, this is slightly excessive for a player who has just 12 months left on their current contract. 

Jan Kuchta - As you know, I like to include one option that ticks outside the box in my transfer options. Kevin Nisbet would be an obvious choice however I think Jan Kuchta is a satisfactory alternative. In no way am I denying the fact Nisbet would be an excellent signing although I think Jan Kuchta, with European experience, could be even better. The Czech striker was part of the Slavia Prague team that knocked Rangers out of the Europa League and he should feel hard done by not to get a call up to the Euros with the Czech Republic national team. The 24 year old only joined the Czech champions last summer however the £360,000 fee (Transfermarkt) has turned out to be a bargain. Kuchta was joint top scorer in the 1. Liga (the Czech top flight) last season with Adam Hlozek. They both scored 15 goals. Kuchta scored 15 goals and got 3 assists in 22 starts; he also made 5 appearances off the bench. We spoke of Kuchta’s European experience, he made 10 appearances in the Europa League last season, scoring 2 goals and getting 2 assists. Kuchta averaged a goal contribution every 108 minutes last season across the 1. Liga and Europa League. He’s already made a magnificent start to the 21/22 season, scoring in Slavia Prague’s opening match. Kuchta is 6”0 tall and is a striker who can do a bit of everything. His height makes him an aerial threat and he does have a quick turn of pace however one of his key strengths is his positioning. Kuchta always seems to be in the right place at the right time to turn home. One hesitation about the signing of Kuchta may be the fact last season was the first in his career where he’s been a consistent performer. In the 18/19 and 19/20 1. Liga campaigns, he scored a total of 13 goals in 45 appearances. However, every striker has a breakout year and at 24, Kuchta still has much more time to develop.