🟢 Celtic’s Transfer Strategy, Mid-Season Woes & Benjamin Nygren’s Bright Spark: A Deep Dive
⚽ A Season Stuttering to Life
As the 2025/26 season rolls on, a growing sense of frustration and disappointment hangs in the air at Celtic Park. What started as a season full of renewed hope under Brendan Rodgers’ second spell has slowly morphed into a campaign marred by inconsistent performances, uninspiring football, and a sense that this Celtic side is less than the sum of its parts.
While there have been isolated moments of joy — such as the gritty comeback win against Motherwell that reminded fans of the club’s fighting spirit — these have been rare. The mood across the fanbase is increasingly uneasy, and criticism has turned towards two key areas: the team’s underperformance on the pitch, and the club’s failures in the summer transfer window.
🛑 The Summer Window: A Missed Opportunity
Celtic entered the 2025 summer transfer window in a position of strength. The club had retained its status as Scottish champions, secured another year of Champions League group stage football, and, for many fans, had brought back a proven winner in Brendan Rodgers. With financial stability and a strong core squad, there was a widespread belief that the board would finally push the boat out and give Rodgers the tools to not just defend their domestic crown, but also make meaningful strides in Europe.
What followed was a disjointed and underwhelming transfer window that left more questions than answers. While several players were brought in, the signings were largely low-cost, developmental prospects rather than first-team-ready upgrades. It felt eerily similar to the 2022/23 transfer strategy: quantity over quality.
This approach has been exposed brutally as the season progresses. Injuries, fatigue, and dips in form have left Celtic short-handed in almost every key area. The result? A team that is struggling to impose itself on games — particularly against lower-tier SPFL sides where Celtic historically dominate.
🌟 Benjamin Nygren: One Bright Spot
Among the incoming summer signings, one name has genuinely excited Celtic supporters — Benjamin Nygren.
Signed from Danish side FC Nordsjælland, the 23-year-old Swede arrived with a reputation for being a technically sound, creative forward capable of playing across the front line. At a time when Celtic’s attacking play had become stale and predictable, Nygren offered something different: vision, intelligent movement, and the ability to carve open defences.
📊 Nygren’s Season So Far — Stats Snapshot:
Appearances: 7
Minutes played: 493
Goals: 4
Assists: 1
Shots: 21
Shots on target: 9
Chances created: 18
Touches in opposition box: 32
Passing accuracy: 83.7%
These numbers reveal a player who is having an impact, despite limited minutes. With a goal involvement every 99 minutes, Nygren is one of Celtic’s most efficient attackers this season. He’s clearly someone who gets into dangerous positions, as shown by his high volume of shots and touches inside the opposition penalty area.
Nygren also brings something Celtic have been lacking — creativity from wide areas. His 18 chances created show that he’s not just a finisher, but also a playmaker capable of linking up with midfielders and strikers alike.
⚠️ The Caveat: Intensity and Physicality
However, while Nygren has made a positive start, not everyone is convinced he’s the answer to Celtic’s wider attacking problems.
🎙️ Michael Stewart’s Assessment:
“Nygren’s a very good signing, but I wouldn’t say he’s an intense player. He’s a quality player, but he’s not got real intensity.”
Stewart’s comments, made on The Scottish Football Social Club, echo the views of many pundits and fans alike. Nygren lacks the raw explosiveness and pressing aggression that has typified successful Celtic sides in recent years — particularly under Ange Postecoglou, where high pressing and vertical running were non-negotiable.
While Nygren is intelligent and composed, he’s not yet the sort of player who can stretch defences with pace or lead a high press. In a team already struggling for tempo and urgency, that becomes a limitation.
🔍 Celtic’s Deeper Problems
Nygren’s limitations wouldn’t be as significant if the rest of the team were clicking — but they aren’t. In fact, many of Celtic’s key players are off the boil, and the squad seems to be suffering from both a lack of depth and energy.
🧩 Midfield: Overworked and Out of Sync
Celtic’s midfield — once the heartbeat of the team — now looks like a shell of its former self.
Callum McGregor, the captain and ever-present midfield anchor, is beginning to show signs of burnout. At 30, with a heavy workload in recent years and international duty on top, his influence is starting to fade.
Reo Hatate, once a box-to-box dynamo, has lost the edge in his game. Whether it’s a tactical issue or mental fatigue, he’s no longer the incisive player Celtic relied upon.
The rest of the midfield — including Odin Thiago Holm, Paulo Bernardo, and David Turnbull — have struggled to make consistent impacts.
The lack of midfield dynamism is suffocating Celtic’s attack. Without progressive ball carriers or late runners, opponents find it easy to sit deep, absorb pressure, and hit on the break.
🔻 Attack: Lacking Firepower and Creativity
Even more concerning is Celtic’s bluntness in front of goal.
Kyogo Furuhashi, once electric, is now being isolated and starved of service. His movement is still sharp, but the midfield isn’t finding him as frequently.
Wingers like Maeda, Palma, and Abada have been either inconsistent or injured.
No Plan B: Celtic lack a physically dominant forward who can offer something different when Plan A isn’t working.
This all points to a forward line that is, in Michael Stewart’s words, “the major issue.” Without intensity or creativity, goals are drying up — and so is entertainment.
📆 January Transfer Window: Celtic’s Last Lifeline?
The January window now looms as a critical juncture for the club. If Celtic want to retain their title and stay competitive in Europe, they must strengthen decisively.
📝 Areas to Strengthen:
- 🏃♂️ Box-to-Box Midfielder:
Someone with stamina, strength, and the ability to carry the ball.
Think of a younger version of Victor Wanyama, or a player in the mold of Youssouf Fofana (Monaco) or Lewis Ferguson (Bologna).
- 🎯 Striker with Physical Presence:
A backup or alternative to Kyogo who brings strength, hold-up play, and aerial ability.
A player like Lyndon Dykes or Zeki Amdouni could offer something different.
- 🪄 Creative Attacker:
A winger or attacking midfielder who can beat players 1v1 and deliver consistently.
A profile similar to Patrick Roberts, Ryan Fraser, or Tom Lawrence could be ideal.
- 🔁 Right-Back or Defensive Cover:
Injuries to Alistair Johnston have exposed Celtic at fullback. Reinforcements here wouldn’t go amiss.
✅ Final Thoughts: Nygren is a Step Forward, But Celtic Need a Leap
Benjamin Nygren represents what Celtic’s summer window could have been — smart, technically sound recruitment of a player who improves the starting XI. He’s not flashy, but he’s effective. And most importantly, he’s still developing. With better support around him and a clearer tactical identity, he could become a key player for Celtic in years to come.
But make no mistake — he alone is not enough to lift Celtic from their current slump. The club’s failure to recruit adequately in the summer has left the squad exposed, predictable, and underpowered. Without major investment in January — not just in terms of bodies, but in proven, first-team-ready quality — the second half of the season could prove to be long and painful.
The clock is ticking. And with Rangers growing stronger and European nights looming, Celtic’s margin for error is shrinking by the week.