Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers He had a big summer at Parkhead in the transfer window as there were a number of changes made to the playing squad.
Although he won Scottish Premier League title and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation Cup last season, the Northern Irishman decided to make a host of new signings to strengthen the squad.
Some were imposed by Matt O'Reilly's move to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, which led to the signings of Arne Ingels and Luke McCowan from Augsburg and Dundee respectively.
The Northern Irishman has also been harsh on players on his side's fringes, with Hyun Gyu Oh, Mickey Johnstone and Tomoki Iwata all sold, while Gustav Lagerbelke was allowed to leave on loan.
Oh moved to Genk on a permanent deal initially leaving the Hoops with Kyogo Furuhashi as their only recognized centre-forward, before the club swooped in to sign Adam Idah from Norwich City on a contract. The reported fee is £9.5 million After the initial loan period.
Celtic had three strikers, Oh, Idah and Kyogo, in the second half of last season, and currently have two, but have been linked to adding a third to the group in the upcoming winter transfer window.
Celtic interest in the English Premier League top scorer
Boot room It was reported in November that Celtic were one of the clubs interested in signing Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson.
It was reported that Rangers and Hoops are both keen to include the Irish striker on loan for the second half of the season, to strengthen their attack, and that they have expressed their “interest” in him.
However, they will need to beat off competition from several Premier League teams in order to secure his services. West Ham, Southampton, Leicester and Fulham are also looking to sign the 20-year-old star.
The boot room added that Brighton had given the green light for him to find a temporary club for the second half of the season, as his playing time was limited with Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro ahead of him in the pecking order.
She revealed that the Seagulls also want assurances from any team they sign that the striker will play regularly, rather than sending him out on loan as a young player.
While it remains to be seen whether or not Celtic will formalize their interest with a formal loan offer, Ferguson has the potential to be a good addition to the squad.
Ivan Ferguson's great potential
The Irish international has just him I started two games In the English Premier League this season, but he entered the season suffering from an ankle injury that kept him out of action April to August.
Before that injury, Ferguson had scored 12 goals in 25 He starts in the Premier League in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 combined seasons for Brighton, and has been aged between 17 and 19 during that time.
The 20-year-old star, who scored 13 goals from 9.99xG During his Premier League career, he has proven to be a great, calm player who can make the most of the opportunities he is given, even against goalkeepers at the top level.
He caught the eye as a teenager in the 2023/24 season for Brighton, playing in them 27 out of 38 League matches, and showed his potential as a player in one of the major European leagues.
|
23/24 Premier League |
Evan Ferguson |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
27 |
|
It starts |
15 |
|
xG |
4.61 |
|
Objectives |
6 |
|
Duel success rate |
40% |
As you can see in the table above, Ferguson outscored his Expected Goals tally by 1.39 but also struggled in his one-on-one duels, losing the majority of his fights.
While these stats suggest the Irishman could thrive on the quality of chances Celtic creates, given he is a crucial finisher, Rodgers could save the club money by exploring an alternative option.
Instead of signing the Premier League striker on loan, the Northern Irish coach could unleash second-team star Daniel Cummings from the start.
Why should Daniel Cummings be unleashed?
Firstly, this would be a cost-effective solution for Celtic, because the club would not have to spend significant money on loan fees or wages to bring in Ferguson.
In the pipeline
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Secondly, it would make more sense for the Hoops in the long term as they would be developing one of their players who could become future stars and a valuable asset down the road, if they can agree a new contract with the teenage star – as His current deal Expires next summer.
Finally, Cummings' form for the second team so far this season suggests that his inclusion in the first-team squad could be just as exciting as signing Ferguson from Brighton on loan, where he impressed for the youth team.
In the 2024/25 season, the 18-year-old striker scored a stunning goal 23 goals in 23 Matches across the UEFA Youth League and Lowland League.
As you can see in the clip above, Cummings also scored a stunning goal in his side's 3-2 defeat to Rangers in the Glasgow Cup on Tuesday night, reaching his 24th goal for the season.
The Scottish youth international is yet to feature in the Hoops match and return 38 goals in 57 The academy games suggest he deserves a chance to showcase his quality in a first-team environment sooner rather than later.
As you can see in the table above, Cummings was more prolific at youth team level than Ferguson was at Brighton before his breakthrough.
The main difference between them at this stage is that the Celtic goal-scoring machine has not been given the opportunity to shine in the first team, as their statistics at youth level do not suggest that the Seagulls youngster is a much better prospect.
So, Rodgers could forget about Ferguson by releasing his own version of Irish talent from the second team and using Cummings to compete with Idah and Keojo in the second half of the season.
