The Curious Case of Benjamin Nygren. According to Transfermarkt, on paper the Sweden international has been one of Celtic’s most impressive performances, scoring seven goals in all competitions.
However, his all-around performance meant he didn’t fully convince in a Hoops jersey. In the Europa League, for example, he has scored two goals in five starts and missed a whopping five “big chances”, according to SofaScore.
Meanwhile, in the Scottish Premiership, Nygren only completed 35% of his attempted dribbles, averaging just 0.5 dribbles per game. This speaks to how clumsy he can sometimes look when trying to move the ball forward in midfield.
Celtic want to sign new attacking midfielder
The left-footed star will remain a useful player for Wilfried Nancy given his goalscoring output this season, but the Hoops are likely to replace him as a starter as there is interest in a new player in his position.
According to the Daily Record, Celtic are interested in signing Cruz Azul attacking midfielder Mateusz Bogus in the January transfer window.
The Scottish giants remain keen on signing the 24-year-old star, with the Scottish giants hoping to sign the Poland international from LAFC in 2024 before moving to Mexico earlier this year, according to reports.
It has also been added that Boguš wants to move away from Cruz Azul after 11 months at the club, suggesting that Celtic could have an opportunity to sign him next month.
However, it remains to be seen how much the Mexican side want the former Leeds star, who joined from LAFC in January last year for a fee of around £6.7m.
Why Celtic should sign Mateusz Bogusz
The Hoops should make an effort to sign Bogush, who wants to leave the club next month, as he could join as an upgrade to Nygren.
However, the attacking midfielder has struggled in Mexico with three goals and seven assists in 39 appearances, according to Sofascore, so he could be a bit of a risk for the Scottish giants.
He has not featured in three of Cruz Azul’s last four games and is keen to leave next month, but his form at LAFC prior to his move to Mexico suggests there is a hidden gem for Celtic to unearth.
As previously mentioned, Celtic wanted to sign Bogush during his time at LAFC, and if he can regain the form he showed in MLS last year, the 24-year-old star could be an upgrade on what Nygren has shown on the pitch in the Premiership this season.
In the 2024 MLS campaign, the Polish attacking midfielder scored 16 goals and provided eight assists in 36 games, according to Sofascore, before earning a big-money move to Cruz Azul.
status | Bogush (2024 MLS) | Nygren (25/26 Premiership) |
|---|---|---|
Appearance | 36 | 15 |
the goal | 16 | 5 |
time per goal | 187 | 168 |
Key paths per game | 2.2 | 1.6 |
A big opportunity has arisen | 9 | 3 |
assist | 8 | 2 |
Number of successful dribbles per game | 1.1 | 0.5 |
dribbling success rate | 53% | 35% |
Statistics by Sofascore | ||
As you can see from the table above, the former Leeds youngster’s form in MLS suggests he has the potential to be more of a creator and dribbler than Nygren, while scoring at a similar pace.
Bogush has been described as a “dangerous” player by journalist Greg Beacham, which is borne out by these statistics, and he could be a dangerous player for the Hoops if he can help them regain their form after a difficult year with Cruz Azul.
The 24-year-old Poland international should not be written off after a lackluster season in Mexico, especially given how impressive his performances have been in MLS.
Bogus is a more dynamic attacking midfielder than Nygren, whose dribbling skills still have a lot of room for improvement, and is likely to excite Parkhead supporters more than the Swedish star, while at the same time scoring almost as often.
Mooy 2.0: Nancy can forget Nygren by releasing ‘outstanding’ Celtic star
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy could unleash the star against St Mirren and ruthlessly drop Benjamin Nygren.
In conclusion, Cruz Azul’s failure would be a risky signing considering how he’s been this year, but the upside is that they could be a huge upgrade on Nygren if they can get him back to his best form.
