For all of the discuss over the likes of Kasper Schmeichel and Auston Trusty of late, Celtic‘s defensive woes shouldn’t masks what has been a dour marketing campaign for the ahead line too at Parkhead.
Having flitted between a pool of strikers that features Johnny Kenny, Shin Yamada, Callum Osmand, Kelechi Iheanacho, Junior Adamu and Tomas Cvancara, it’s damning that it’s Kenny – now out on mortgage at Bolton Wanderers – who stays the membership’s highest-scoring centre-forward in 2025/26, netting simply six instances.
With final season’s 33-goal talisman, Daizen Maeda, enduring an actual regression too, the Hoops largely have unlikely hero, Benjamin Nygren, to thank for sustaining their Premiership title push.
An at instances polarising determine in Glasgow, the elegant Swede has been in red-hot type since Martin O’Neill‘s return to the dugout, firmly cementing his place on the membership’s undisputed participant of the season up to now.
Why Nygren needs to be Celtic’s participant of the season
An enigma. That’s one of the best ways to explain Celtic’s 24-year-old star, with Nygren making up for his bodily shortcomings by proving a merely prolific presence in 2026, particularly.
Whereas wanting a yard in need of tempo from time to time, you merely can not argue with the playmaker’s report to this point, having already scored 18 instances in all competitions following his arrival from Nordsjaelland.
Snapped up for a discount charge of simply £1.7m, the left-footer is now the joint-top scorer within the division with 14 league objectives, battling it out with reported Celtic goal, Tawanda Maswanhise, for the golden boot.
Having additionally scored 4 instances on the Europa League entrance, together with within the current drubbing by the hands of Stuttgart, Nygren’s whole of 18 locations him manner out in entrance in Celtic’s scoring record this season, with that man Maeda residing in second.
That standing as O’Neill’s major man has been cemented in current weeks, particularly, scoring six instances in his final seven Premiership video games, notably pouncing for the equaliser within the comeback win over Kilmarnock.
A box-crashing, scientific poacher from his attacking midfield berth, the Swede has really solely missed 5 ‘huge probabilities’ within the league to this point, whereas boasting a 21% purpose conversion fee.
Maswanhise, for comparability, has missed eight ‘huge probabilities’, albeit whereas recording a 23% conversion fee.
With a lot upheaval this season, Nygren has been the one fixed performer, though is anybody actually secure heading into the summer season?
Celtic’s Nygren 2.0 must be bought this summer season
Maybe in an identical vein to Cyriel Dessers at Rangers, Nygren’s affect and high quality proceed to be debated, with even his current type unable to masks wider points.
£8m Celtic star appears like one other Nygren within the making below O’Neill
Celtic stored their Premiership title hopes alive with a shocking comeback on Sunday afternoon.
Within the view of Chris Sutton, he’s a “good footballer”, however “I do not suppose he can run”.
That fixed dialog mirrors the discuss that has lengthy been centred round Arne Engels, with the younger Belgian one other to have frequently been below the microscope in Glasgow.
Whereas critique of the 22-year-old’s recreation has largely come because of his £11m, club-record price ticket, his beginning berth within the facet has routinely been questioned, even whereas chipping in commonly with objectives and assists.
Certainly, like Nygren, the previous Augsburg starlet does boast a powerful report in a Celtic shirt, racking up 35 objectives and assists in 90 video games to this point, regardless of sometimes working as one thing of a deep-lying midfielder.
Like Nygren too, Engels seems to have benefited from O’Neill’s affect this season, with the 73-year-old’s two spells in cost seeing the teen rack up 9 objectives and assists in 15 video games.
The priority, like Nygren, nevertheless, is what he gives out of possession, regardless of being hailed as a “highly effective” asset by Brendan Rodgers, having gained simply 33% of his floor duels this season, whereas averaging just one.9 ball recoveries on common within the Premiership.
|
Engels vs Hearts – twenty fifth Jan 2026 |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Report |
|
Minutes |
90 |
|
Touches |
46 |
|
Go fee |
62% |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Dribbles |
0/0 |
|
Ball misplaced |
16 |
|
Tackles |
0/0 |
|
Floor duels gained |
1/5 |
|
Aerial duels gained |
4/12 |
|
Dribbled previous |
2 |
There may be an class and silk to his recreation, not least from set-pieces, though Engels might be far too simply bypassed in midfield, notably struggling away at Tynecastle final month.
There may be an argument that current outcomes, amid the playmaker’s damage absence, have showcased his significance to the facet, though if the likes of Nottingham Forest come knocking once more this summer season, the Parkhead hierarchy must money in.
For all his potential, a determine just like the £25m charge that was rejected on deadline day would absolutely be too good to show down once more, not least with this squad in want of an Ange Postecoglou-style revamp this summer season.
In an identical mould to Nygren, Engels has emerged as a key determine in a struggling Celtic facet, but is he really ok to take the membership the place it needs to go? That continues to be to be seen.
Not simply Mvuka: £6m Parkhead man should not begin once more for Celtic
After the highs of Kilmarnock, Celtic have been introduced crashing again all the way down to earth this week.
