Celtic may be in the market to add another centre-forward to their squad before the summer transfer window officially slams shut at the start of next month.
It is fair to say that Adam Idah has not had the best start to the Scottish Premiership season as the main number nine for Brendan Rodgers, particularly given his performance against St Mirren.
The Ireland international, as shown in the graphic above, missed three ‘big chances’ and lost the majority of his duels in the 1-0 win on the opening day.
Idah then failed to deliver a goal or an assist in the 2-0 win over Aberdeen in the second match of the league season, despite starting up front once again.
The Ireland international is still looking to prove that he has what it takes to be starting number nine for Celtic this season, after being in and out of the team at points last term.
With his current struggles in mind, the Scottish giants may view their failed pursuit of Danish forward Mathias Kvistgaarden as a bit of a blunder in hindsight.
Celtic's Mathias Kvistgaarden blunder
Back in the summer of 2023, Celtic were reportedly interested in the then-21-year-old number nine from Brondby to bolster Rodgers’ options at the top end of the pitch in his first window back at the club.
They did not heavily pursue a move for him in that window, though, but were reportedly in talks with the Danish outfit in January 2024 to discuss a deal for him.
Celtic were tentatively linked with Kvistgaarden again in the summer of that year, before they reportedly made contact with Brondby once again to talk about a move for the versatile forward in January of the current year.
Despite all of those links and supposed talks, it was eventually Norwich City that landed the striker this summer for a fee of £6.9m, after they activated a little-known release clause, despite a fee of £12m having been mooted.
The post from talent scout Jacek Kulig, from before the end of last season, shows that Kvistgaarden steadily improved throughout his time with Brondby, developing into a sublime goalscorer.
Appearances
29
Goals
17
Minutes per goal
119
Conversion rate
22%
Big chances created
5
Assists
5
As you can see in the table above, the Denmark international delivered 23 goals and assists in 29 league appearances for his former club in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows that he can make a consistent impact in the final third.
Whilst it remains to be seen how well he will do for Norwich, Idah’s former club, in the Championship, he does seem to be the kind of ruthless and prolific striker that the Hoops are currently lacking.
This is why missing out on a deal for him after three or four transfer windows of reportedly serious interest in him could be viewed as a blunder by the club.
Celtic, though, could avenge their howler with Kvistgaarden by winning the race to sign another reported transfer target from Brondby, Clement Bischoff.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The Hoops have been touted with an interest in the £6m-rated winger this summer, and they should not allow him to slip through their fingers like they did with the now-Norwich star.
Why Celtic should sign Clement Bischoff
Bischoff is an incredibly exciting young talent whom the Premiership champions should be looking to bring to Parkhead before the end of the window, if the initial report on their interest was accurate.
As explained, Celtic were interested in Kvistgaarden for multiple years and transfer windows and were unable to get a deal over the line before he exploded in the 2024/25 campaign and then went elsewhere, to the Canaries.
Bischoff has not quite had the explosive season that his former teammate had last year, yet, which is why this could be the perfect time for the Hoops to snap him up.
If they wait, as they did with Kvistgaarden after their interest in 2023 and 2024, then the Danish winger could have his breakout year this season and then become unattainable due to interest from Europe’s top leagues, or high-spending teams in the Championship like Norwich.
U23 scout Antonio Mango described him as an “explosive” and “flamboyant” star with pace and technical ability, which suggests that he has the potential to be a fan favourite at Parkhead as a forward who can get supporters off their seats with his direct play.
His form at the start of the current campaign suggests that he is starting to turn his exciting potential into consistently impressive displays, which makes him an even more attractive target for Celtic.
Appearances
39
8
Key passes
51
24
Big chances created
10
5
Key passes per 90
2.0
3.8
Assists
5
2
Goals
2
1
Successful dribbles per 90
1.9
2.0
As you can see in the table above, Bischoff is already showing signs of huge progression early on in the current campaign, with already half as many ‘big chances’ created as he managed in the whole of last season.
These statistics, aided by his move from left wing-back to left wing, show that he is on course to deliver far more at the top end of the pitch, in terms of goals, key passes, ‘big chances’ created, and dribbles.
This is why it is so important that the Hoops make a serious move for him in the current transfer window, because if he continues to improve at his current rate, then he may be beyond the club’s reach this time next year.
Therefore, Celtic can avenge their blunder with Brondby’s last superstar, Kvistgaarden, by paying the £6m fee that it may take to snap Bischoff up before September’s deadline to bolster Rodgers’ squad.