Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers was dealt a blow during the summer transfer window when attacking midfielder Matt O’Riley moved on from Parkhead.
Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion swooped in to secure a deal for the Denmark international for a reported fee of an initial £25m ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
He was the talisman of the team last season for the Northern Irish head coach, with a fantastic return of 18 goals and 13 assists in 37 appearances in the Scottish Premiership.
Rodgers needed other players within the squad to step up after O’Riley moved down south and, as their mesmerising Champions League victory over RB Leipzig showed, they haven’t missed him.
Evoking memories of that famous night in Glasgow where Tony Watt scored the winner against Barcelona, Rodgers’ charges put in one of the best displays we’ve seen in Europe from the Hoops.
It looked like another fateful evening when the German side took the lead but the Bhoys responded emphatically well through Reo Hatate and Nicolas Kuhn, the man of the moment.
His first few weeks in Celtic colours weren’t the best but he’s revived himself to become an undroppable figure at Parkhead.
Nicolas Kuhn's start to life at Celtic
The German forward moved to Parkhead from Austrian side Rapid Vienna for a reported fee of £3m during the January transfer window, shortly followed by the arrival of Adam Idah on loan.
His first goal, assisted by Idah, came in just his second appearance for the club, as the forward deflected a low, left-footed, effort into the bottom corner in a draw with Aberdeen.
However, the 24-year-old ace did not really kick on after that moment and ended the campaign with a return of two goals and two assists in 14 outings in the Premiership.
Celtic supporter, and actor and PR/communications worker, James Matheson claimed that Kuhn was “shocking” in his first few games for the Scottish giants, and the statistics show that the winger did not enjoy the most prolific start to his time in Glasgow.
The left-footed magician has, though, kicked on in his first full season at Parkhead and has emerged as O’Riley 2.0 for Rodgers, as a forward who can contribute with goals and assists on a regular basis.
How Nicolas Kuhn now compares to O'Riley
In the 2024/25 campaign, the former Rapid Vienna star has produced a stunning nine goals and ten assists in 16 appearances in all competitions, more than one goal contribution per game on average.
Two of those nine goals came in the 3-1 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League at Parkhead on Tuesday, the first of which was a terrific curling effort from distance.
As you can see in the table below, Kuhn is tracking at similar numbers, as a scorer and a creator, to O’Riley from last season, with his play in the Premiership.
He has emerged as an unplayable forward for opposition defences, as illustrated by his incredible return of goals and assists across all competitions, and that has led to plenty of praise.
Starts
37
7
Sofascore rating
7.91
7.63
Minutes per goal
181
194
Key passes per game
2.5
2.2
Assists per game
0.35
0.71
In fact, journalist Ryan McGinlay hailed his first goal against Leipzig as “unbelievable” and said that the winger should now be worth a whopping €50m (£42m).
Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg recently claimed that several Premier League clubs have enquired about the Celtic forward and Rodgers may now be hoping that he does not lose his new O’Riley just a few months after the Danish star’s own departure.
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1 ByDan EmeryNov 6, 2024