Teamwork makes the dream work

Celtic can land this summer time’s Engels by signing a star who’s “like Ronaldo”

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Celtic have been busy all through the summer time switch window as they set about making an attempt to enhance the squad that Brendan Rodgers has to work with subsequent season.

There was loads of enterprise finished already, with the likes of Benjamin Nygren, Kieran Tierney, Ross Doohan, Callum Osmand, and Hayato Inamura all arriving at Parkhead.

Nonetheless, the £1.7m that they’ve reportedly paid to signal Nygren is the largest price that has been spent, which signifies that they’ve but to reinvest a lot of the reported £16.5m that Como have spent on Nicolas Kuhn.

Scottish broadcaster Hugh Keevins lately provided his ideas on the window, writing: ‘Why don’t we simply purchase someone terrific? Company negligence could be not re-investing the cash for the betterment of the workforce. Celtic can’t afford to mis-manage this switch window. They’re so good at it that in the event that they fell out of the switch window they’d go up.’

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers

Final summer time, Celtic made certain that they reinvested the cash that they obtained for Matt O’Riley with a club-record deal for Arne Engels, who has turned out to be a superb signing for the membership.

Why Arne Engels has been well worth the cash for Celtic

The Scottish Premiership champions reportedly splashed out a club-record price of £11m to signal the Belgium worldwide from Bundesliga facet Augsburg forward of the 2024/25 marketing campaign.

It was an announcement signing for Celtic as a result of they have been prepared to spend huge cash to usher in a top-quality participant to bolster their squad, and he proved his price on the pitch.

Engels-Celtic-Bayern-Champions-League

The 21-year-old central midfielder ended his first season in Scottish soccer with a haul of 10 objectives and 13 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions, which exhibits that he supplied high quality as each a scorer and a creator of objectives.

His £11m price ticket naturally created loads of hype round him forward of final season, given the cash concerned and the prospect of his potential to ship on the pitch, and he lived as much as it.

The midfield maestro’s performances within the Champions League, as Celtic reached the play-off spherical, additionally confirmed that they signed a participant who can carry out on the very high stage.

24/25 Champions League

Arne Engels per 90

Percentile rank vs midfielders

xAG

0.25

High 7%

Assists

0.37

High 6%

Shot-creating actions

3.11

High 29%

Key passes

2.24

High 6%

Proportion of dribblers tackled

71.4%

High 9%

Tackles made

2.49

High 28%

Passes blocked

1.12

High 27%

Stats by way of FBref

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, Engels stacked up nicely towards his positional friends in a number of key offensive and defensive metrics, which exhibits that he supplied a powerful box-to-box presence in the course of the park for the Hoops.

His general output in entrance of objective and his performances within the Champions League present that he lived as much as the hype as a top-class performer for Celtic, which is why there might not be too many complaints concerning the price paid for him at this level.

Arne-Engels-Celtic

Celtic, nevertheless, could not need to spend a file switch price, or any switch price, to safe this summer time’s model of their deal to convey Engels to the membership.

As an alternative, Brendan Rodgers might land a high-profile free agent who might arrive at Parkhead with the identical stage of fanfare that the transfer to signal the Belgian whiz was met with.

Earlier this month, CaughtOffside named the Hoops as one among various golf equipment, together with Manchester United and Newcastle United, excited about a deal to signal Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free switch.

The previous England worldwide left Everton on the finish of final month and the report claimed that he’s set to demand £100k-per-week in wages, which is why it might nonetheless be an costly deal for Celtic regardless of the shortage of a switch price.

Why Calvert-Lewin might be this summer time’s Engels for Celtic

Snapping up the 28-year-old striker could be this summer time’s Engels signing for Rodgers as a result of it could contain committing an enormous amount of cash to a marquee addition, albeit in wages slightly than a switch price.

The likes of Newcastle, who’re within the Champions League, and Manchester United, one of many largest golf equipment on the earth, being excited about Calvert-Lewin illustrates the standard he possesses and exhibits why the ahead would doubtless be part of Celtic to a lot fanfare in the event that they have been to win the race for his signature.

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Within the 2024/25 marketing campaign, the skilled striker solely scored three objectives in 26 appearances within the Premier League for the Toffees, as he discovered himself on the bench behind Beto.

Nonetheless, Calvert-Lewin has scored 57 objectives in 279 video games within the English top-flight, together with a 16-goal haul within the 2020/21 season, which exhibits that he’s a confirmed Premier League goalscorer who might present large high quality in entrance of objective in Scottish soccer.

Take Adam Idah as a related instance. The Eire worldwide scored one objective in 29 video games for Norwich within the Premier League, but he has plundered 21 objectives in 50 outings within the Scottish Premiership.

Now think about the form of numbers {that a} confirmed Premier League goalscorer might put up as Celtic’s most important quantity 9 subsequent season. It’s an thrilling prospect and one that would generate plenty of fanfare, ought to the membership win the race for Calvert-Lewin.

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Richarlison evaluating the ahead to the long-lasting Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t assist to mood pleasure. The Brazilian attacker as soon as mentioned: “He have to be a nightmare to play towards and he has an unimaginable leap on him like Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Calvert-Lewin could leap like Ronaldo however he doesn’t seem to have the sturdiness of the Portuguese legend, as he has suffered from too many accidents in latest seasons.

Calvert-Lewin’s damage historical past

Season

Accidents

Video games missed

24/25

2

15

23/24

3

6

22/23

4

29

21/22

2

33

20/21

2

5

Stats by way of Transfermarkt

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, the previous England worldwide struggled within the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns specifically, but additionally missed 15 video games final season.

Which means that Celtic must method up the chance versus the reward on this switch race as a result of there’s the potential for him to be a prolific, marquee, striker signing and this summer time’s Engels, however there’s additionally the chance that might not be accessible sufficient to make a big influence.

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