Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was dealt a big blow during the summer transfer window when Matt O’Riley was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion on a permanent deal.
The Premier League outfit reportedly paid a fee in excess of the previous Scottish transfer record, which stood at £25m, and this meant that the Hoops raked in a significant sum of money for the Danish star.
Whilst it was a blow for the Scottish giants to lose a player of his quality from the squad, that sale did allow the club to invest in a host of new signings to bolster the club.
Arne Engels, Luke McCowan, Auston Trusty, Alex Valle, Viljami Sinisalo, Kasper Schmeichel, Adam Idah, and Paulo Bernardo were all brought in by the Hoops.
Engels was a particularly lavish addition to the group as they paid a club-record fee of £11m to sign the Belgium international from Augsburg after O’Riley’s exit.
The most similar player to the Danish star, stylistically, from the summer signings, however, was McCowan, who joined on a permanent deal from Scottish Premiership rivals Dundee.
Luke McCowan's form for Celtic
The Scottish midfielder, like O’Riley, is a left-footed central midfielder who looks to impact games by pushing forward to deliver goals and assists for the team.
In the Premiership last season, the boyhood Celtic supporter caught the eye with ten goals and five assists in 37 appearances for Dundee, which proved that he had the quality to produce goals and assists regularly in the top-flight from a central midfield position.
His impressive form for Dundee convinced the Hoops to swoop for his services on deadline day, on the same day that they signed Engels, to be a squad player at first.
That is how it has panned out so far, as the 26-year-old whiz has only started one of his six appearances in the Premiership for Celtic so far this season.
He has also only featured in one of the club’s three matches in the Champions League, coming off the bench against Atalanta, in the League Phase.
Appearances
6
Starts
1
Goals
2
xG
0.47
Key passes
3
As you can see in the table above, McCowan has shown plenty of promise in his limited time on the pitch for Celtic, with two goals and three chances created.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to eventually nail down a regular place in the starting XI amid fierce competition from Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, Bernardo, and Engels.
Therefore, despite being a similar type of player to O’Riley, who can also deliver goals and assists in midfield at Premiership level, he may not be able to replicate the impact the Dane had over the course of the 2023/24 campaign.
Matt O'Riley's stunning season for Celtic
Last season, the left-footed magician took his game to the next level under Rodgers after showing plenty of promise during his time with Ange Postecoglou at Parkhead.
In the 2022/23 campaign, O’Riley contributed with three goals and 12 assists, with 16 ‘big chances’ created, in 38 appearances in the Premiership for Celtic under the Australian head coach.
The central midfielder was a superb creative player for the now-Tottenham Hotspur boss but did not find the back of the net on a consistent basis.
Sofascore rating
7.91
1st
Goals
18
1st
Assists
13
1st
Big chances created
14
1st
Key passes per game
2.5
1st
As you can see in the table above, O’Riley emerged as a phenomenal goalscoring threat for Rodgers last term, ending the season as the club’s top scorer in the league.
Along with his sublime goalscoring exploits, the Danish star maintained his impressive level of creativity, also ending the campaign as the team’s top assister.
These statistics show that it was always going to be difficult to replace O’Riley in the summer as he contributed so much to the side, with goals and assists, to win matches for the Hoops on a regular basis.
Whilst not a like-for-like replacement from a positional sense, Rodgers appears to have unearthed his new version of O’Riley in German forward Nicolas Kuhn.
Why Nicolas Kuhn is Celtic's new Matt O'Riley
The former Rapid Vienna star, who joined from the Austrian side in January, plays out on the right flank, rather than in central midfield, but is another left-footed magician who has taken over the mantle of carrying the team from an attacking perspective.
Kuhn has enjoyed a sensational start to the 2024/25 campaign, as both a scorer and a creator of goals, and is on course to be as important to Celtic as O’Riley was for Rodgers last term, before his huge money move to Brighton in the summer.
The German wizard produced two goals and two assists in 14 Premiership outings during the second half of last season, as he settled into life in Glasgow and Scotland in his first five months at the club.
He had a pre-season to further settle in and adapt to Rodgers’ system, and was hailed as “magical” by the boss after his performance against Manchester City, and has thrived since the real action started.
Appearances
9
Starts
7
Goals
3
Assists
5
Big chances created
2.2
As you can see in the table above, Kuhn has been on fire to start the campaign with a return of eight goal involvements in seven starts in the Premiership.
He has also created two ‘big chances’ and registered one assist in three outings in the Champions League for the Hoops, which shows that he has also made the step up in Europe.
Whilst he is yet to prove his quality over the course of an entire season, his current form suggests that Celtic already have their new O’Riley as Kuhn can provide quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals as a left-footed ace on a regular basis.
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