And then there were two. Celtic’s ongoing striker saga has become a defining story of the season, and beyond. And not in the way anyone at the club would have hoped…
Since January, the club have lurched from hesitation to miscalculation to outright bad luck, and the result is a squad now relying on Johnny Kenny and the re-emergence of Shin Yamada to shoulder the goalscoring burden.
It should never have come to this!
Kyogo’s departure was the catalyst, but the warning signs were flashing even before he left. The electric forward who thrived under Ange Postecoglou looked increasingly muted under Brendan Rodgers. Some argued Rodgers’ possession-heavy, low-volume chance creation system simply didn’t suit him. Others thought Kyogo himself had an eye on the exit, recognising he no longer fit a model that once allowed him to score for fun, even if it often took him a few chances to get there.
Whatever the truth, one thing is certain, letting Kyogo go without a replacement lined up was an act of sheer negligence. Champions League fixtures still ahead, domestic silverware to play for, and Celtic gambled on finding a striker on the fly. It was a gamble that backfired spectacularly.
The club promoted Johnny Kenny from loan duty, then leaned on Adam Idah, only to sell him when the numbers didn’t add up – purchase price or regular goals.
Idah was never the main man, but he was a useful rotation option, a role he clearly understood but wasn’t given the chance to grow into. The pressure told when more was asked of him, the fit was wrong, and off he went.
Then the dying embers of the transfer window brought another frantic search for a Kyogo replacement, and this time for Idah too. Celtic fumbled again, and again.
In had come Callum Osmand from Fulham early in the transfer window, promising, but untested, without a single competitive senior appearance. From Japan arrived Shin Yamada, a forward with ability, but one coming off a J-League run about as far from prolific as possible. When a deal for a certain Danish international striker collapsed amid deadline-day chaos, the club turned to the free transfer market — or more accurately, Brendan Rodgers’ personal Rolodex.
That’s how Kelechi Iheanacho arrived. To his credit, he showed signs of being a useful squad forward, not prolific, but with a well-rounded toolkit. In truth, he looked ideal as an upgrade on Idah, a solid rotation man, not the main act.
But the main act never arrived
And then the injuries arrive. First Iheanacho drops out against Braga. Suddenly Celtic’s striker depth chart collapses, and shifts from patchy to precarious.
That leaves Johnny Kenny, lively in moments, promising in others, but raw. Shin Yamada, who seemed destined for the margins under Rodgers, and Callum Osmand. Kenny’s confidence likely took a dent when Martin O’Neill hooked him at half-time last night after a poor showing. The plan seemed clear as the second half progressed. Osmand would start against Kilmarnock.
Then Celtic’s hamstring curse struck again
O’Neill must now decide, go back to Kenny and trust that his three goals in two games prior to last night’s showing were no fluke. Or roll the dice on Shin, the player Celtic scouted extensively as a goalscoring prospect, the version of him they thought they were buying, not the one whose numbers collapsed before the deal was sealed.
It’s likely Kenny gets the nod. But Shin will almost certainly make the squad, and if he doesn’t start, he will feature. He needs to take that chance. And Celtic need him to take it.
He must have spent the first months of his Celtic career wondering what on earth he’d walked into. A manager who barely used him, and talk of him as nothing more than a club signing. Now, through crisis comes opportunity.
But make no mistake, this situation should never have existed in the first place. The club hesitated in January, sold without buying, and in the summer repeated the same recruitment mistakes we’ve seen too often, until Rodgers bailed them out with a player he knew and trusted.
For Iheanacho up front, read Schmeichel between the sticks from the summer before
Now Celtic must lean heavily on Kenny and Shin. Two strikers, one with confidence shaken, the other untested and barely played. This is not a strategic plan. It is the consequence of the lack of one. It all leads back to those decisions, or lack of decisions, made in January.
Now it will be a calendar year before we can sign a Kyogo replacement. And it is still the same faces we’ll lean on to conclude the deal. It certainly doesn’t offer much reassurance.
Niall J
Until Lawwell and his merry men are gone nothing will change
Disagree niall, and the use of kyogo is nothing more than a poor excuse imo.
This is the 5th season of having the same team formation in place.
Also happens to be the 5th season of having 7 attacking options available within our squad.
Personally fail to see how an overall squad could be formed properly without having the 7 attacking options within it, with a team structure in place as it is imo?
That was in place by the end of January, with idah, Kenny and still Maeda as a 3rd striker if required, but changed with Maeda making such an impact as our main striker.
Due to the impact Maeda was making in the position, the loss of kyogo wasn’t really felt, especially as Maeda was having a bigger impact than kyogo in the position imo?
So no real surprise that 7 was always going to remain as attacking options, especially when the team set up remained the same.
Idah for his fee involved, wasn’t making much of an impact in leading the line as a striker, even when given the starting position within SPFL matches.
Hardly surprising that Rodgers lost patience with him during the CL qualification matches, and looked towards kelchi as the replacement, and trying to save face with the board for the mistake made, especially for the fee involved.
Kenny was still highly thought of, hence the new contract, and originally thought it was an addition to our homegrown quota, even if not entirely sure now?
Can even understand getting in balikwisha, who we thought was a right option, who could do the striker role also, so potentially another Maeda type player to offer flexibility within our 7 attacking options.
Both yang and forrest were used as flexible options in the wide areas, which is also a potential requirement with the 5 sub rule in place, which can tend to change the starting front 3 during the course of a game generally.
Even had no complaints about getting in extra attacking options, who could be developed, and potentially extra cover for SPFL if injuries were going to impact ourselves.
So wouldn’t be complaining about the theory factor, within the squad building process for our attacking options, so much myself. But getting the required performance levels has been an issue, and becoming even greater for a European campaign.
So what have we got now, that the injuries are impacting ourselves, to a greater extent now?
Balikwisha is still struggling badly to make his mark within our squad. Might help him if a decision upon what position and role he is expected to carry out for ourselves?
Yang seems like a player where January can’t come quickly enough for him, especially with his chances of being at a world cup at the end of this season, fading hugely.
Forrest, still a bit part player, and having less impact within our bigger games, but still a requirement for our homegrown quota all the same.
Anybody guess as to where Maeda is at, regarding staying until the end of the season, or joining yang at the exit door?
So with kelchi, jota and now Osmand, our theory of being better covered in attacking options for this season, has gone completely out of the window for ourselves.
Big ask for shin to be looked upon as a saviour for ourselves, but hopefully with trying to get the ball forward quicker, might suit his game better. Haven’t seen to much to suggest it will against the anti football, backs to the wall approach that’s expected on Sunday imo.
Would be fantastic if we could actually get that striker, who is capable of getting in behind a back line, along with being comfortable in dropping into the false 9 role, in hold up play and bringing attacking midfield and wide options into the game, with being a prolific goalscorer, all at the same time within there game?
Such a striker is well outside our price bracket, but more worrying is our total lack of being able to develop the likes for ourselves.
So a replacement for yang must be our main target during January still. But as we couldn’t do the likes during the summer, don’t see how it is going to be any easier in January either imo?
In many ways, we are still lucky to have 6 attacking options for Sunday.
Will they be able to deliver over a full 90 minutes for ourselves? is a totally different story all the same imo