Celtic still has time to soak in the market to improve their team for the 2024/26 campaign before the summer transfer window closes early next month.
Brendan Rogers has not kept his desire to add more quality to his options across the park in the coming weeks, particularly in attacking areas on the pitch.
Earlier this month, the Northern Ireland head coach said:
“I think that’s very clear. You need to improve on the front end of the pitch. The offensive department is always and always, the strength of my team. You need to lose important players in that area and replace players in that area.”
As you can see in the post above, Rogers confirmed in May that Portuguese winger Jota was set to act for up to nine months with a knee injury.
This means Celtic supporters may not see the former Benfica starlet again on the green and white pitch until January or February of next year.
Why Celtic needs to replace Jota
The Scottish Premiership Champion will have to sign another left attacker before the window closes.
Rather, Drab’s victory over St Mirren, determined by a biased strike from Luke McCowan, underscored the need to attack reinforcements passing through the door in the coming weeks.
Rodgers would have loved making Jota available to take advantage of Winger to turn off the bench in the final third after scoring four goals and two assists in seven league starts late last season.
24/25 Premiership | That (approximately 90) | Percentile Rank vs Winger |
|---|---|---|
the goal | 0.63 | Top 6% |
xg | 0.48 | Top 8% |
assist | 0.32 | Top 17% |
Shah | 0.37 | Top 8% |
Possibility of being created | 1.89 | Top 25% |
Statistics via FOTMOB | ||
As you can see from the table above, Jota is running in the Premiership after returning from Rennes to Glasgow in January. He was highly ranked within his positional peers as both a left flank scorer and a goal creator.
The Portuguese star is a winger with the ability to regularly make a big impact on the top of the pitch. So his injury was such a big blow for Hoop and Rogers, which is why he has to be replaced.
Daizen Maeda is currently the only senior left winger available in the First-Team Squad with fits, while 34-year-old James Forrest was the only winger of any description of the bench against St Mirren.
This is why Hoops must immerse themselves in the market and sign players who can fill the gap left by Jota’s injuries.
TeamTalk recently reported that Brondby Winger Clement Bischoff has emerged as a key target for Celtic.
The outlet argued that Danish youth can be used for a fee of around £6.3 million, but could also face competition from Premier League Sunderland and Crystal Palace.
Why Celtic should sign Clement Bischoff
Celtic will need to push this summer to win the 19-year-old talent signature race.
Bischoff may be the perfect signature to meet the specific needs of this signature. He is a young player at age 19 who doesn’t expect to start all the games anytime soon. This means Jota’s return from an injury may not cause any problems for the team.
Meanwhile, having Jota, Maeda, and another senior left-hand attacker who wants to start every week can cause problems and put Rogers in a difficult situation.
This means Bischoff will be able to fit the bill perfectly by coming to play important minutes in the first half of the season. He then learns from him to achieve his backup role when the Portuguese forward returns and to assist in his own development.
Teenage Wiz, who was described as “glamorous” and “technical dribbler” by U23 Scout Antonio Mango, also shows ample quality in the blonde bee, suggesting that she can quickly provide quality to Celtic.
Very, Bischoff is already playing on the left side of the front three, creating 24 chances and 5 “big chances” in six games in all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign on the Danish side.
24/25 Super League | Clement Bisshoff |
|---|---|
exterior | 29 |
the goal | 2 |
A big opportunity has been created | 9 |
Key Passes for each game | 1.5 |
assist | 3 |
Dribbling completed per game | 1.6 |
Dribbling success rate | 52% |
Statistics via Sofascore | |
As you can see from the table above, the teenager managed only two goals and three assists at the blondeby league level last season, but his start all came as a left-wing back.
The Danish side has used him as a winger rather than as a winger earlier this season, and he has already produced one goal and one assist in three Super Riga games.
This shows that he can provide more offensive quality when used on the wing, but also shows that Rodgers is a versatile player that can be used in other positions on the left if necessary.
So Bischoff could be a great addition to the Celtic team as a quality, versatile young player that could immediately impact him, but he could also complement Jota when he backfits and is available.
