“On the cards” is a late Celtic contract for a “prolific” star; just picture him and Kyogo.

Thursday is the last day of the January transfer market, so Celtic may have a hectic few days of business before then.

On Saturday, Brendan Rodgers was witness to his team’s dramatic 1-0 victory over Ross County in their Scottish Premiership comeback, which was secured by an early strike from Alistair Johnston.

After the incredible start to the game, the Hoops possessed 70% of the ball and had 17 shots on goal, but they were unable to score; Luis Palma’s missed penalty in the 28th minute being a significant factor in that inability.

Nicolas Kuhn, who joined the Bhoys from Rapid Wien earlier this month, made his debut off the bench, although he might not be the team’s final attacking acquisition before the window closes.

Rodgers wants to add a left-back and a goalie to his roster, in addition to another number nine, according to a previous report from Football Insider.

Celtic’s search for a striker

With the identification of Pierre van Hooijdonk, the son of one of their former center-forwards, as a target, Celtic’s hunt for a striker seemed to be coming to an end.

According to Anthony Joseph, a reporter for Sky Sports, Sydney van Hooijdonk wants to leave Serie A team Bologna before the transfer window closes.

The reporter goes on to say that the Hoops have been watching the young Dutch player for “some time” and that they are looking to add another striker to their roster.

He did, however, clarify that as of right now, the Scottish powerhouses had not gotten in touch with Bologna regarding a potential signing of the 23-year-old marksman.

A move to Parkhead is “on the cards” for the youthful attacker, according to TNT pundit Paul Dempsey’s Saturday night assertion, which was cited by the Daily Record.

While on duty for Bologna’s Serie A match against AC Milan, he noticed that van Hooijdonk was not included in the Italian team’s matchday roster, suggesting that he would be switching to Scotland.

It’s still unclear, though, how close a deal is, how much the Bhoys would be ready to pay for his services, and whether it would be enough to entice the Serie A team to pay for him.

In addition to providing Yogo Furuhashi with competition at the top of the pitch, Rodgers might land an interesting companion for the Japan international if he manages to make a move for van Hooijdonk before the deadline on Thursday.

Kyogo’s drop-off in form under Rodgers

Under Ange Postecoglou, the 29-year-old forward had an incredible 2022–2023 season that solidified his status as a star for the Scottish powerhouse.

In 36 Premiership games for the club, including 31 starts, Kyogo scored an incredible 27 goals and provided two assists, demonstrating his goal-scoring ability on a regular basis.

The PFA Scotland Men’s Player of the Year title that the striker received for his outstanding play in front of goal indicates that his teammates acknowledged and valued his talent.

In 50 games in all competitions, he scored 34 goals and provided five assists for Celtic, an impressive rate of one goal every 1.47 games as they won a domestic treble under the Australian head coach.

Kyogo seems to have suffered as a result of Rodgers taking over in the dugout for the second time after Postecoglou left Parkhead last summer.

In 31 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops thus far this season, the Japan international has contributed 11 goals and three assists, for an average of one goal per 2.82 games.

The seasoned center forward’s form has drastically declined, and he hasn’t been able to build on or duplicate his goal-scoring prowess from the previous season.

The aforementioned table illustrates how much the Hoops striker has struggled compared to his outstanding 2022–2023 campaign performances.

Van Hooijdonk’s signing may benefit Kyogo by giving him fierce competition for his spot, boosting his morale, and maybe offering him a wonderful partner in the closing third.

The stats that show why Celtic should sign van Hooijdonk

With just one goal in 11 games for Bologna this season, the 23-year-old wiz has found it difficult to establish himself in Italy; but, he has already proven his worth in the Netherlands.

Van Hooijdonk, who was formerly praised as “prolific” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, made an impression in front of goal during his 18 months on loan at Heerenveen in the Eredivisie, which ran from January 2022 to the summer of 2023.

Over the second half of the 2021–2022 season, the Dutch finisher made 13 appearances in the top flight, scoring six goals and missing just three “big chances.”

After spending the first five months of his loan with Heereveen, he returned with an incredible 16 goals in 30 Eredivisie starts over the next 12 months, missing only ten “big chances.”

During his 43 league starts while on loan with the Dutch team, van Hooijdonk scored 22 goals overall and only missed 13 “big chances,” translating to an average of one goal every 1.95 starts.

Given that his play for Heerenveen during that 18-month period was more spectacular than what the current Hoops ace has managed in the Premiership, it appears that the Celtic target has more offensive potential than Kyogo has shown thus far this season.

Since Van Hooijdonk thrives in aerial duels with defenders, an area where the 29-year-old struggles, he could potentially be an excellent partner for the Japanese powerhouse.

While Kyogo has won 0.2 aerial duels per game with a success percentage of 20% in the league this season, he won 2.0 aerial duels per game in the Eredivisie last season with a success rate of 45%.

Instead of worrying about getting into physical altercations with tall Scottish defenders, the £7.6k-per-week striker could offer a physical outlet at the top of the pitch, allowing the current Celtic marksman to play off and around him. This would free him up to concentrate on increasing his output in front of goal.

This may make them a formidable rivalry to push each other to raise the bar in practice and on game days, as well as an intriguing combination for Rodgers in the closing third.

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