Celtic continued their fantastic start to the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership season with a 2-1 comeback win over Ross County in Dingwall on Sunday.
The Hoops have now won seven of their matches in the division so far this term and have only conceded one goal, which came from the penalty spot at the weekend.
Ronan Vale found the back of the net at the second time of asking after Kasper Schmeichel was adjudged to have been off his line after saving the first effort.
This means that the Scottish giants are still yet to concede a goal from open play in their seven outings in the Premiership this season, which is a remarkable start to the campaign defensively.
Offensively, Celtic have scored an eye-catching 22 goals in seven games – seven more than any other team in the division – and this shows that they are not missing Matt O’Riley, who joined Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer.
The Denmark international racked up 18 goals and 13 assists in the Premiership during the 2023/24 campaign, but the club’s impressive goal return so far this term suggests that his absence has not been felt.
Celtic have been great at finding replacements for the stars that they decide to cash in on and they may have finally found their new version of Jota, who left the club last year.
Jota's time with Celtic
Ange Postecoglou initially signed the Portuguese forward on a season-long loan from Benfica ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, and he enjoyed a terrific first year with the Scottish giants.
The flying winger produced ten goals and ten assists in 29 appearances in the Premiership that term to help the Hoops to win the title, after Rangers had won the division unbeaten in the previous season.
His sublime form in the Scottish top-flight convinced the Bhoys to trigger the option to make his loan deal a permanent one for a reported fee of £6.5m, whilst it was claimed that Benfica retained a ‘significant’ sell-on clause as part of the agreement.
That turned out to be a fantastic decision by Postecoglou and the club as Jota went on to enjoy even more success in his second season in the Premiership for Celtic.
Appearances
33
Goals
11
Big chances created
13
Key passes per game
1.9
Assists
11
As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese dynamo was directly involved in 22 goals in 33 appearances in the league, two more than he had been involved in during his first campaign at that level.
That form convinced Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad to swoop in for the winger last summer, and they splashed out a reported fee of £25m for the attacker – £7.5m of which went back to Benfica as part of their sell-on clause.
Celtic did win the league again in the 2023/24 campaign but they failed to find their new Jota as none of their wingers managed more than seven goals or nine assists.
However, Brendan Rodgers may well have found the club’s new Jota-esque talisman in Nicolas Kuhn, who spent the second half of last term settling into life at Parkhead.
How much Celtic paid for Nicolas Kuhn
In January of this year, the Northern Irish head coach decided that he needed more quality in the attacking areas and swooped to sign the German winger and Adam Idah, initially on loan from Norwich City before his deal was made permanent this summer.
Sky Sports reported that the Hoops spent a fee of around £3m to sign the former Bayern Munich trainee from Austrian outfit Rapid Vienna on a permanent basis.
Appearances
16
Goals
2
Big chances created
11
Key passes per game
1.8
Assists
5
As you can see in the table above, Kuhn had showcased his creativity quality in the Bundesliga during the first half of the season, albeit his goalscoring record was not particularly impressive.
The 24-year-old attacker produced two goals and two assists in 14 appearances during a solid, albeit not spectacular, start to his Celtic career in the Premiership last term. Although, towards the end of the season, teammate Cameron Carter-Vickers hailed him as a “really good” player and lauded his performances in training.
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This season, the German wizard has taken his displays in training and enjoyed a sensational start to the campaign, emerging as the club’s new Jota.
Nicolas Kuhn's sublime form this season
The left-footed star, who was hailed for his “magical” play by Rodgers in pre-season, has hit the ground running this term and showcased his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Scottish giants.
He has already racked up six goals and eight assists in 11 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, which shows that he has consistently contributed in the final third.
The German talent has got supporters off their seats with his terrific play in possession. He has completed 2.0 dribbles per game, with a success rate of 61%, and this shows that he had the beating of defenders far more often than not.
Kuhn, who scored the winning goal against Ross County with a composed left-footed finish into the bottom corner on Sunday, has been a star in the Premiership for Rodgers.
Appearances
7
Goals
3
Big chances created
4
Key passes per game
2.0
Assists
4
As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old magician has been directly involved in seven goals in seven matches and has created two chances per game on average so far this term.
These statistics mean that Kuhn is currently on course to reach double figures for both goals and assists this season if he continues at his current rate, which would see him match Jota’s achievements in his two seasons in the division.
None of Celtic’s wingers managed that feat in the 2023/24 campaign but – in Kuhn – Rodgers appears to have finally found a talismanic forward who can replicate the Portuguese dynamo’s impact at the top end of the pitch from a wide position.
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2 ByDan EmeryOct 8, 2024