The dream Celtic starting XI after January

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was backed by the board in the summer transfer window after key player Matt O’Riley was sold to Brighton.

The attacking midfielder left the Scottish giants to sign for the Premier League side in a deal that was reported to be a fee of more than £25m, breaking the domestic transfer record for the Hoops.

His departure from Parkhead was a big blow for the Northern Irish head coach and the team, as he had been a big player for the club last season.

As you can see in the table above, O’Riley made a huge impact at the top end of the pitch with his ability to score and assist goals from a central midfield position.

However, Celtic did swoop to sign the likes of Arne Engels, Paulo Bernardo, Kasper Schmeichel, Auston Trusty, and Adam Idah, among others, to bolster the squad.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, the club could dip into the market again, and here is how the dream Celtic XI could look in February if everything falls into place.

1

Kasper Schmeichel

Firstly, there is no need to upgrade on Kasper Schmeichel, who arrived on a free transfer from Anderlecht in the summer, between the sticks.

The 38-year-old colossus has kept nine clean sheets in 12 appearances in the Premiership, saving 87% of the efforts on his goal, so far, and has Viljami Sinisalo as his back-up.

2

Alistair Johnston

Another player whose position in the team should be secured is right-back Alistair Johnston, who has been a terrific performer since his move to Glasgow.

The Canada international has scored four goals and created eight ‘big chances’ in 12 appearances in the Premiership so far this season for the Hoops, which illustrates the attacking impact he can have from a full-back position.

3

Cameron Carter-Vickers

At the heart of the defence, Rodgers will be hoping that Cameron Carter-Vickers can return to fitness and avoid any further injury issues, having already missed seven matches this season.

The 26-year-old star has been a dominant presence, winning 73% of his duels across eight league games, when he has been available to play.

4

Auston Trusty

This is a position that is still up for grabs, as Liam Scales and Auston Trusty are fighting it out to be the first-choice option in the left-sided centre-back role.

In the Premiership this season, the American summer signing has completed 95% of his attempted passes, made 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game, and is yet to make a single error that has led to a penalty or goal in the Premiership.

Whereas, Scales has completed 92% of his attempted passes, made 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game, and has made an error that led to a shot and given away a penalty, which suggests that Trusty has the edge over him at the moment.

5

Greg Taylor

At left-back, Greg Taylor could remain the first-choice option for Rodgers, having started nine of the club’s 12 matches in the Premiership so far this season.

6

Callum McGregor

At the base of the midfield, there is little doubt that the captain, the leader of the team, Callum McGregor will remain a regular ahead of the second half of the season.

The former Scotland international has scored an eye-catching five goals in ten league games so far this season, to go along with a pass completion rate of 93%.

7

Arne Engels

Another summer signing who could continue to shine is Arne Engels, who has scored two goals and created three ‘big chances’ in seven league starts since his move from Augsburg.

8

Lennon Miller

The first potential new signing in this starting XI comes in the third and final midfield position, as Lennon Miller could be brought in to bolster the middle of the park.

It was recently reported that the Hoops are preparing a swoop to sign the Motherwell star, who is valued at £4m, alongside Rangers and Liverpool ahead of the January window.

As you can see in the table above, the 18-year-old star has outperformed Reo Hatate and Paulo Bernardo in a host of key statistics in the league this season, which suggests that he could offer more as an all-round midfielder if he signs in January.

Therefore, the Scottish star, who has been hailed as “ridiculous” by James McFadden, could be a fantastic addition to the squad for the second half of the season.

9

Nicolas Kuhn

In a dream world, Celtic will be able to keep hold of Nicolas Kuhn, who has scored 11 goals and provided 11 assists in 18 appearances for the club this season.

10

Kyogo Furuhashi

In the centre-forward position, Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah will still be fighting it out to start. Rodgers has preferred the former so far, starting him in nine of the 12 league games, and that could stay the same.

11

Michel-Ange Balikwisha

Finally, Celtic could also swoop to sign Michel-Ange Balikwisha from Royal Antwerp, after they were rumoured to be keen on him in the summer window.

The 23-year-old winger is said to want to move on from the Belgian side in the January transfer window and is valued at £7.5m, which could open the door for the Hoops to snap him up.

As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha’s form in the Pro League last season was more impressive than Daizen Maeda’s for Celtic in the Premiership.

The Belgian ace could offer more quality as a goalscorer and a creator, whilst also making more tackles and interceptions to help the team out of possession, and Maeda could drop to the bench to use his pace off as an impact substitute.

Related

Celtic man just got embarrassed by an £88m sensation for his country

The Celtic defender had a howler on Sunday evening with a poor performance against England.