Rodgers could land Kyogo upgrade in Celtic swoop for “impressive” marksman

Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers was dealt a blow during the recent summer transfer window when attacking midfielder Matt O’Riley was sold.

The Denmark international completed a move to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, and recently scored the winning goal for his new club against Manchester City.

It reportedly took a fee of more than £25m to tempt the Scottish giants into cashing in on the former MK Dons star, who was the star of the show for Rodgers in the 2023/24 campaign.

As you can see in the table above, O’Riley led the way for Celtic in pretty much every meaningful attacking statistic in the Scottish Premiership, as he proved himself to be a scorer and a creator of goals for his side.

This shows that the Hoops lost a huge player when they sanctioned his departure to the Premier League, whilst they managed to keep hold of Kyogo Furuhashi amid reported interest from elsewhere.

Kyogo Furuhashi’s form this season

The Daily Mail claimed that Premier League champions Manchester City held an interest in the Japan international, in their pursuit of a replacement for Julian Alvarez.

It was reported that the Scottish giants were demanding a fee of more than £20m in order to let the centre-forward move on from Parkhead, and the Cityzens seemingly decided against a move for him in the end.

Celtic may not have many more chances to rake in a massive sum of money for the striker, however, as he turns 30 in January and his form on the pitch has left a lot to be desired this season.

The 29-year-old marksman has struggled to make the most of the chances that have been created for him by his teammates and the Hoops may rue not being able to cash in on him for more than £20m in the summer, despite the quality he can still provide at times.

As you can see in the table above, Kyogo has been wasteful at the top end of the pitch with just five goals and 14 ‘big chances’ missed in the Premiership and Champions League combined.

Unfortunately, Adam Idah – who was signed on a permanent deal from Norwich in the summer – has only scored two goals and missed four ‘big chances’ in eight Premiership outings so far, which means that he is yet to prove that he can be an upgrade on the Japanese forward.

Celtic may, therefore, have to look further afield to find an upgrade on the stuttering Kyogo, who has been unreliable in front of goal, and Brondby star Mathias Kvistgaarden could be an ideal target.

Celtic’s interest in Mathias Kvistgaaden

Danish outlet Tipsbladet recently claimed that the Hoops were one of a number of clubs in attendance to watch Brondby in action against FC Nordsjælland on Sunday.

Fenerbahce, Hellas Verona, Brighton & Hove Albion, Feyenoord, and Bologna were also said to have sent scouts to watch the match, along with Celtic’s talent spotters.

The report also revealed that the Scottish giants have sent scouts to several Brondby matches in recent weeks to keep an eye on their talent ahead of the January transfer window.

Although it is not certain that Kvistgaarden is the one they have been specifically scouting, Tipsbladet does mention that Celtic have been linked with an interest in the Danish forward, whilst it was claimed that they had a long-standing interest in him during the summer window.

There is also no mention of how much it would cost to sign the 22-year-old dynamo, who is valued at €5m (£4.1m) by Transfermarkt, and that means that it is hard to gauge whether or not it is a viable move for the club to make when the January transfer window officially opens for business.

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Kvistgaarden, who has been hailed as “impressive” and a “jewel” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has been in terrific form for Brondby, however, and could come in as an upgrade on Kyogo for Rodgers.

Why Celtic should sign Mathias Kvistgaarden

The Premiership champions should improve their team by signing the in-form centre-forward, who has caught the eye with his performances this season, and that is why they should explore the possibility of a transfer in January.

Kyogo’s struggles in front of goal throughout the 2024/25 campaign show that there is room for another striker to come in and take his spot if Celtic get their recruitment right, which is what they could do by bringing Kvistgaarden to Paradise.

Last season, the then-21-year-old produced ten goals and seven assists in 28 appearances in all competitions for the Danish side, which was a solid but unremarkable return.

This time around, Kvistgaarden has already fired in 13 goals and provided five assists in 20 outings across all competitions for Brondby, which shows that he has provided regular quality in the final third for his side.

As you can see in the table above, the Denmark U21 international has significantly outperformed Kyogo at league level in the 2024/25 campaign so far, with six more goals and six fewer ‘big chances’ missed.

The 5 foot 7 marksman, who scored 31 goals in 45 games for Brondby’s U19s, has finished 16% more of his chances in front of goal and this suggests that he is far more ruthless in the final third.

At the age of 22, Kvistgaarden is also seven years younger than the current Celtic marksman and this means that the club could sign an upgrade on the striker, whilst also bringing in a player who has the potential to improve and develop over the years to come.

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Celtic are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Premier League midfielder.

Therefore, Rodgers could improve his team and sign an asset with the scope to soar in value by securing a deal to bring in the Danish youngster.