Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers has not been afraid to make it clear to the board that his squad needs fresh blood before the end of the summer transfer window.
The former Liverpool and Leicester boss is in the final year of his contract at Parkhead and has urged the club to back him with more recruits at the top end of the pitch.
Speaking about transfer plans recently, the Celtic manager claimed that they “need competition at the top end of the field” and said that it is “important” for the Hoops to get that before the end of the window.
The Scottish Premiership champions are set to be without Jota until next year, potentially, as he nurses an ACL injury, and sold Nicolas Kuhn to Como earlier this summer, which has left the squad very light in the wide areas.
At this moment in time, Rodgers only has three ‘natural’ senior wingers at his disposal in Hyun-jun Yang, Daizen Maeda, and 34-year-old veteran James Forrest.
It is, therefore, no surprise to hear that the manager wants the club to bring in attacking reinforcements, particularly as Yang has yet to prove that he can be a frontline option.
Why Celtic need to replace Yang
Kuhn’s departure earlier this summer opened the door for the South Korea international to start the opening game of the Premiership season against St Mirren earlier this month.
Unfortunately, the right-sided attacker did not win a duel, produce a shot on goal, or create a chance for any of his teammates in 59 minutes on the pitch, as per Sofascore, which shows that he was totally ineffective in and out of possession.
It was telling that Yang was then an unused substitute in the 2-0 win over Aberdeen last weekend, as Rodgers clearly felt that he did not offer enough in the win over St Mirren.
The 23-year-old forward’s initial struggles at the start of this campaign suggest that he may be best suited to going back to the role that he played last term, rather than being a frontline option as a regular starter.
Appearances
23
Starts
9
Goals
5
Minutes per goal
196
Key passes
18
Big chances created
3
Assists
2
As you can see in the table above, Yang provided a solid threat as a squad option for the Hoops in the 2024/25 campaign, producing seven goals and assists in just nine starts.
That is a role that suits his ability, as he can come off the bench to make an impact and start the odd game when needed, but he does not have the game-changing quality to be a regular starter as a ‘replacement’ for Kuhn on the right flank.
Celtic eyeing deal for Danish forward
According to the Daily Record, Celtic remain interested in a deal to sign Go Ahead Eagles attacker Jakob Breum before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the 21-year-old talent is on the ‘agenda’ for the Scottish giants, as they note that Rodgers is keen for more attacking talent to be added to the squad.
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It adds that the versatile Danish star, who can play out wide or through the middle as an attacking midfielder, is high up on the club’s wishlist of possible signings.
Earlier this month it was reported that Go Ahead Eagles are looking for a fee in the region of £5m for Breum, and that the Hoops have already had an approach turned down for him.
It is now down to the board to go back in with another attempt to sign the Dane, who was described as an “exciting” talent by Sport Republic video scout RDF Tactics, before the deadline at the start of September, because he could come in as a big upgrade on Yang.
Why Celtic should sign Jakob Breum
The Hoops should swoop to sign Breum because he has played 27 games as a right-sided winger in his career, as well as 60 matches on the left flank, as per Transfermarkt, which suggests that he can fill the current gaps in the squad in the wide areas.
Celtic need to sign at least one winger, given Yang’s struggles and the fact that Maeda is the only left winger in the team, and the Go Ahead Eagles star could be the ideal addition due to the versatility that he would bring.
Whilst Yang, 23, has never scored more than eight league goals in a season in his career, and no more than five in a European league, Breum plundered ten goals in the Dutch top-flight in the 2024/25 campaign.
The 21-year-old star, who is two years younger than the South Korean flanker, put in some fantastic performances in the Eredivisie for his side last term, and his displays in the Netherlands suggest that he could come in as a big upgrade on the right wing for Celtic.
Appearances
26
23
Goals
10
5
Goals per game
0.4
0.2
Big chances created
6
3
Assists
5
2
Successful dribbles per game
0.9
0.7
Dribble success rate
47%
40%
As you can see in the table above, Breum was far more impressive with his work at the top end of the pitch at league level in the 2024/25 campaign in comparison to Yang.
These statistics suggest that he has the potential to offer more to the team as a scorer, a creator, and a dribbler in any of the positions across the front, whether that is on either flank or as an attacking midfielder.
If Breum is able to translate those performances and the output that he provided over to the Premiership, he would be a superior option for Rodgers to call upon in the final third.
This would also allow Yang to go back to the role that he played last season for Celtic, coming off the bench more often than not to make an impact as a rotation player.
Therefore, the club’s interest in a potential deal to bring Breum to Parkhead before the end of the summer could make a lot of sense, both because of how it could improve the starting line-up and what it would do for Yang’s role.