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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has called a Hoops transfer target “brilliant” ahead of their Champions League qualifier with Kairat Almaty.

Rodgers addresses Celtic transfers before Champions League qualifier

So far in the 2025 summer transfer window, those at Parkhead have signed seven new players and still have time for further incomings and outgoings ahead of the September 1 deadline.

It has been two weeks since their most recent arrival, 19-year-old Manchester City loan defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, and Rodgers is focused on getting past the Kazakh opposition with familiar players.

Benjamin Nygren

FC Nordsjaelland

£2m

Shin Yamada

Kawasaki Frontale

£1.5m

Hayato Inamura

Albirex Niigata

£250,000

Kieran Tierney

Arsenal

Free

Ross Doohan

Aberdeen

Free

Callum Osmand

Fulham

Undisclosed

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey

Man City

Loan

Rodgers was asked if he would get the signings he was looking for when the board discover whether they have Champions League income.

“I’m not going to get into a situation where I look frustrated or am frustrated because that transfers on to the players that I have, and those guys have been brilliant.

“If we get somebody in, great. If not, then we’ll go with what we’ve got. We’ll do everything we can to try and ensure all the details are right for the game and see if we can take Celtic back into the Champions League again.

“I’ve had no injuries and I believe that the quality of our game and the intensity that we want to work at can hopefully be enough to see us through. But these games will always be tough games.”

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1 ByDan Emery Aug 18, 2025 Rodgers responds to Vardy joining Celtic rumours

One player who has been linked with Celtic is free agent Jamie Vardy. The forward has his heart set on a move to Celtic Park after leaving Leicester City, and Rodgers called the forward “brilliant” when quizzed on a potential move.

Rodgers also wanted to ensure uncertainty over potential outgoing transfers also does not affect players.

“I mentioned this a few weeks ago to the players, I think it’s important to just set the narrative for them because there’s so much noise, especially as it ramps up towards the end.

“I’ve been in enough changing rooms to know how stability can be lost in this moment because some players will be thinking are they staying, are they going, but in the midst of that you’ve got really important games.

“So I’ve already mentioned this to players about respecting and acknowledging that it is a difficult part of the season, however, the money will be in your bank every month and it’ll be from Celtic and whilst it is, you need to perform. And in fairness to the players, they’ve been brilliant with that. You see it in their attitude in the game, the energy in the games.”

“These issues are unacceptable, and they aren’t getting better”

Mohammad Isam27-Jan-2025Tom Moffat, the CEO of the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), has blasted the BPL for being “a repeat offender” in failing to pay the players on time. The reaction comes a day after Durbar Rajshahi’s overseas players boycotted their BPL match on Sunday because of non-payment of dues.Even Rajshahi’s captain Taskin Ahmed had joked after the match that he hoped the cheques issued to the Bangladeshi players, hours before the match, wouldn’t bounce like the pitch. The BCB’s media chairman Iftekhar Rahman said that the board is planning to take legal action against the Rajshahi franchise.On Monday, Ryan Burl and Aftab Alam, two of Rajshahi’s overseas players, appeared for the team’s last league match against Sylhet Strikers. It is however not clear whether the franchise owner Shafique Rahman has paid them fully yet.Related

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Rajshahi's overseas players sit out Sunday's game over non-payment of dues

Moffat expressed his shock on the matter, and called the lack of payment unacceptable.”It’s disappointing to hear about more non-payment issues in the Bangladesh Premier League, which has been a repeat offender over a number of years, ” Moffat told ESPNcricinfo. “These issues are unacceptable, they aren’t getting better, and it’s the players who make the event that are impacted. In any league that is officially sanctioned, players should have confidence that their contracts have some basic protections and minimum standards in them, and that they can be enforced efficiently.”The game is not currently capable of solving transnational issues like this at the moment, and that needs to change if it wants to continue to claim to be a leading global sport in 2025.”The BPL’s first two editions – in 2012 and 2013 – were mired by non-payment issues, with many players remaining unpaid by the franchises. The BCB even stopped the tournament for a season after there were corruption scandals.The payment issue cropped up this year after Rajshahi’s local players boycotted a training session last week, after going totally unpaid for the first two weeks of the tournament. Rajshahi reportedly also initially failed to pay their team hotel in Chattogram, with their owner Rahman getting into trouble with hotel authorities. They also had booking issues in Dhaka where they had to change hotels suddenly.

Ange Postecoglou was left “frustrated” after seeing Nottingham Forest exit the Carabao Cup in dramatic fashion at Swansea, with complacent players being blamed for an embarrassing defeat in South Wales. The Reds led a second-round contest heading into stoppage-time, but suffered a stunning late collapse that ultimately left them on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline.

Back-to-back defeats for Postecoglou

Postecoglou is still waiting on his first victory as Forest boss, with losses being suffered in his opening two games at the helm. He was thrown in at the deep end ahead of a Premier League trip to Arsenal, but was expecting more from his squad at Swansea.

AdvertisementGettyForest felled in dramatic cup clash

Two first half goals from Igor Jesus had Forest in complete control of their latest fixture but, after squandering a number of other decent opportunities, they crumbled in the closing stages as a flurry of substitutions broke their momentum and caused confusion.

Dramatic finish: Two goals in stoppage-time

Zan Vioptnik levelled matters in the 93rd minute, before Cameron Burgess’ second goal of the game completed a remarkable turnaround for the Swans in the seventh minute of added time. Former Tottenham boss Postecoglou, who struggled to keep clean sheets and pick up positive results during his time in north London, was left fuming at the final whistle.

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GettyPostecoglou explains what went wrong

The Australian tactician, who pointed the finger of blame at those out on the field, told : “It was a game we really should have killed off, long before it got to the stage it did. I sensed we were getting a bit comfortable and thought the game would finish off easily, but that is not what happened, that’s cup football. I thought we scored a good third goal which was disallowed and I think the lads got comfortable in that moment.

“You know the warning signs, especially in cup football, if you let the opposition in there is always a chance they could do what they did to us. I am frustrated we did not realise the danger that could have developed by not being more clinical in our football and killing off the opponent when we should have.

“We don’t have time for philosophical views, there was an opportunity today to progress to the next round of the cup, we were in a great position. We should have seen it out and got through, that is the disappointing thing.”

Chittagong have moved up to second spot after a good run of results in Sylhet, but there is a muddle in the middle of the points table

Mohammad Isam14-Jan-2025Rangpur Riders have been in top form for a second week in a row in BPL 2024-25, stretching their winning run to seven out of seven to get to within striking distance of the playoffs. And they have made it fun – both their wins in the Sylhet leg over the past week have been last-over affairs, one of them a last-baller.Against Fortune Barishal, their captain Nurul Hasan smashed 30 runs in the last over off Kyle Mayers for a three-wicket win. Then it was the turn of their fielders and bowlers to make a late turnaround against Khulna Tigers, as they picked up three wickets in the last over, bowled by Mohammad Saifuddin, to win by eight runs.Like Rangpur, Chittagong Kings also won both their outings in Sylhet, beating Dhaka Capitals and Sylhet Strikers quite comfortably. Dhaka and Sylhet also opened their accounts in the competition, while Durbar Rajshahi also won one game in the Sylhet leg.Best batter – Usman KhanNurul’s heist against Barishal was one of many batting highlights of the past week.Zakir Hasan and Usman Khan struck two half-centuries each. Litton Das scored a 73 and his maiden T20 century, a 125 not out, with Tanzid Hasan scoring 108 alongside Litton in that game against Rajshahi as the two put on 241 for the first wicket.Unfortunately for Litton, the sudden burst in form came a tad late as he was dropped from Bangladesh’s Champions Trophy squad – he scored the century in the evening after the squad had been announced in the afternoon.Usman Khan has been key to Chittagong Kings’ recent success•Chittagong KingsUsman dominated the powerplay in both of Chittagong’s wins, putting together good partnerships as well in the process. Coming into the week after slamming 123 in 62 balls in Chittagong’s 105-run win over Rajshahi, Usman hit 55 in 33 balls against Dhaka and then 53 in 35 balls against Sylhet, when they won by 30 runs. Indeed, his form, and that of the other batters like Graham Clark and Haider Ali and Shamim Hossain has been central to Chittagong’s recent surge.Best bowler – Mohammad SaifuddinThere were no big hauls by any of the bowlers this week, but plenty of them made telling contributions.Khaled Ahmed and Mohammad Wasim did well in Chittagong’s two wins. Akif Javed also bowled a match-winning spell, taking three wickets in Rangpur’s win over Khulna. Rahkeem Cornwall, meanwhile, was the only spinner to take a three-for this week, setting up Sylhet’s win over Dhaka.The performance that stood out, though, was Saifuddin’s superb last over against Khulna. Khulna needed 12 runs off the six balls, and though they were six down at the start of the over, were favourites to pull it off.Saifuddin stuck to yorkers, started the over with two dot balls, then bowled a wide, but then Rangpur got three wickets in three balls as panic set in the Khulna camp. Mohammad Nawaz and Nasum Ahmed were run out off consecutive balls, and Saifuddin then got rid of Abu Hider, before giving away one run off the final ball.Litton Das has found form, but not soon enough to get in the Champions Trophy squad•Dhaka CapitalsUnusual playsNurul became only the second batter to hit 30 runs in the last over of a T20 match, and the 30 runs Rangpur got ranked third in the list of most runs scored off the last over of a men’s T20 game.Sabbir Rahman, meanwhile, scored his first BPL half-century in five years, hitting 82 not out off 33 balls with nine sixes and three fours. But it wasn’t enough as Chittagong won that game against Dhaka.Litton scored his first T20 century in his 227th match in the format.Tale of the tableRangpur are the clear leaders. Chittagong have been the surprise package, now in second position with six points from four games. Barishal, who came into the tournament as one of the favourites, are in third place, also with six points but they have played one game more than Chittagong. Khulna, Sylhet and Rajshahi will have to battle hard for the fourth playoffs spot, but Dhaka, with one win in seven matches, will have to make a big, late charge to be in with a chance.

Birmingham City are looking to further strengthen their squad in their efforts to be promoted from the Championship back to the Premier League.

The next target is former Arsenal, Liverpool and England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who most recently played for Turkish side Besiktas. The Champions League winner has experience at the highest level of the game and would be a statement signing for the club.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is reportedly looking for a move back to England after spending two seasons in Turkey.

Not only would Oxlade-Chamberlain be a good addition to the squad, but he may also come without costing a penny, currently working with Besiktas to terminate his contract and grant him the right to negotiate with any club. This means the only thing Birmingham will have to deal with are his personal terms, including his wages and potentially a signing-on fee.

Sky Sports pundit and former England and Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has spoken to Football League World about Birmingham’s transfer business and the possibility of signing Oxlade-Chamberlain.

“Birmingham just seem to be doing piece of business after piece of business, and you can understand why they’re attracting players of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s caliber.

“With the style they play and the formation that they’re using, you do think that would suit someone like Chamberlain. He can play in wide areas, he can come and play inside.”

Hendrie played over 250 appearances for Birmingham’s rivals and played in the derby on four occasions, going on to add: “I think this would be such a big signing for them, I really do. For their promotion push, this could be another big name entering the building for Birmingham City”.

Birmingham have already made major signings to their squad this window, like former Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi.

Oxlade-Chamberlain a worthwhile signing despite injury troubles

Oxlade-Chamberlain is currently unavailable as he is suffering from a knee injury sustained back in May. He’s expected to be available in the first few weeks of September, meaning he shouldn’t miss too much of a season with Birmingham, provided he doesn’t suffer any setbacks.

However, this isn’t a new issue, and Oxlade-Chamberlain’s career has been plagued by knee injuries that have kept him out of football for prolonged periods of time.

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Knee Injuries

Season (Club)

Days Missed

Games Missed

13/14 (Arsenal)

141

48

13/14

40

4

15/16

67

15

15/16

64

9

17/18 (Liverpool)

317

58

20/21

114

20

24/25 (Besiktas)

102*

12*

Total

845

166

* Currently Injured

The above table demonstrates how persistent the issue has been, and although he may be fit again in September, there’s no guarantee that the injury won’t recur.

He may be worth the punt however – even injured, such an experienced player can bring something to the dressing room. He has won nearly every domestic trophy available to him, including the Champions League and the Premier League. He also has promotion experience from the start of his career, as he helped Southampton get promoted into the Championship.

This experience will be invaluable for a team trying to push itself back into the Premier League. When fit, Oxlade-Chamberlain will help the team on the pitch, but if he gets injured, he will still be a massive boon to the squad.

Getafe are closing in on signing former Leeds and Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford. The free agent was released from his contract by the Premier League side just a few days before the deadline day after falling out of coach Daniel Farke's plans and is reportedly set to travel to Spain to discuss a possible transfer.

Getafe interested in Bamford

Getafe have been looking for a new striker since seeing Christantus Uche move to Crystal Palace on the last day of the transfer window. According to journalist Matteo Moretto, Getafe, who did not sign a replacement until now, are closing in on the 32-year-old. His agent is in contact with the Spanish outfit, and the contractual details are expected to be wrapped up on Tuesday. The player is currently preparing to fly to Madrid, where he will sign for his new club as a free player.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportBamford was a goal-machine at Leeds

Bamford rose through the ranks at Chelsea and had a number of loan spells before signing for the Elland Road club in 2018 from Middlesbrough. He remained a mainstay at the club over the next seven years, thriving the likes of Marcelo Bielsa and Sam Allardyce, among others. During his time at the club, he featured in 205 matches and scored 60 goals. He won the Championship twice – in 2020 and 2025 – and was also named the Championship's Player of the Year in the 2014-15 season.

Will Bamford be a starter at Getafe?

Bamford's last season as a regular starter came in 2020-21, when he played every game in the Premier League and recorded 17 goals and nine assists. At Getafe, manager Jose Bordalas has the likes of 28-year-old Borja Mayoral, the only proper No.9 profile after Uche's departure. Hence, it would not be easy for Bamford to make his way into the lineup straightaway. 

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Getty Images SportDid Bamford ever play for England?

Bamford made his international debut under Gareth Southgate as a 28-year-old against Andorra at the World Cup qualifiers back in 2021. He featured for only 62 minutes and has never played again for the Three Lions.

Julian Alvarez’s frustrations at Atletico Madrid have sparked fresh transfer speculation, with his former coach tipping him for a move to Barcelona. Hugo Rafael Varas insists Alvarez has 'never' been used in his right position under Diego Simeone and believes the Argentine forward should leave unless there is a change of manager.

Alvarez frustrated under Simeone

The Argentine, who joined Atletico a year ago from Manchester City in a deal worth up to £82 million (€95m), has not had the smoothest start this season. A missed penalty against Mallorca and his frustrated reaction after being subbed told the story of his frustrations under Simeone. With Atletico sitting 12th in La Liga after five games and just one win, the Argentine manager's system is facing more and more questions.

AdvertisementAFPAlvarez’s ex-coach slams Simeone over misuse at Atletico

Alvarez’s first coach, Varas, told that the striker has not been used properly, saying: "I don't see him comfortable at Atletico. I think he's played a lot of games on the wing, he's never played in the position he should be playing. I know he's told his family that he's focused on the team, he plans to play and do well, and his goal is to continue being the national team's No. 9. Today, Atletico is a team that defends a lot and attacks little. I see him more as a passer than a finisher. He's scoring goals from free kicks or outside the box. The team isn't getting much forward for Julian to be the No. 9 he scored goals for River."

Varas also suggested that a change could be on the horizon, either with Simeone or with Alvarez himself. 

"I think there will be a change at some point, either of the manager or the manager himself. Someone just told me he should go to Barcelona, and the truth is he's not at Barcelona because he didn't put in the money he should have. He would leave because he's always been a Barcelona fan. I'd like him to play for Real Madrid," he added.

Alvarez's bright start has faded

The 25-year-old, who scored 29 goals in all competitions last season, got the new campaign off to a bright start individually by scoring in the first La Liga game against Espanyol, though Simeone's men went on to lose 2-1. He failed to find the net in the next three games and, a week after he was taken off at half-time against Villarreal, he was subbed again after an hour in the weekend's draw with Mallorca. His replacement, Alexander Sorloth, was sent off within 10 minutes.

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AFPA struggling Atletico prepare for derby

Los Rojiblancos will look to turn things around when they face Rayo Vallecano tonight before hosting city rivals Real Madrid on Saturday in a huge test. All eyes will be on the Argentine striker, who is still searching for consistency this season and the right role under Simeone, as he looks to further improve on last season’s performance.

Manchester City could make a sensational bid for an “insane” player, who they made contact with earlier this summer, it has been revealed.

Lijnders impacting Guardiola's style at Man City

Jamie Carragher believes former Jurgen Klopp assistant Pep Lijnders is having a real impact on Pep Guardiola’s style of play, with Man City now playing a high defensive line, and scoring goals on the counter-attack against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Carragher said: “I couldn’t believe what I saw, the players were all jumping high up to try and catch the Wolves players offside. This is very Liverpool-like. It made me think how much influence is maybe the new coach having on this team.”

However, the Blues’ defensive frailties were on show in the 2-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur last time out, with James Trafford making an error leading to Joao Palhinha’s goal, while Rico Lewis won just two of the eight duels he contested.

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Consequently, Pep may want to bring in a little more experience at the back, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma emerging as a major target, and there is also interest in a new right-back, who Lijnders knows very well…

Indeed, according to a report from Caught Offside, Man City could make a sensational bid to sign Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in the January transfer window, with the former Liverpool man not exactly making a flying start to life in La Liga.

Dani Carvajal has managed to force his way back into Xabi Alonso’s side, which has led to doubts over Trent’s future, and City are monitoring the situation, having already contacted the right-back over a potential move to the Etihad Stadium earlier this summer.

The 26-year-old, who is reported to earn a base salary of around £276k-a-week at Real Madrid, has only made seven appearances for Real Madrid so far, but City are now in the picture for a shock move, with Guardiola in need of a long-term Kyle Walker replacement.

Trent would be "insane" signing for Man City

Given the recent history between Man City and Liverpool, the full-back linking up with Guardiola doesn’t seem like the most plausible of scenarios, although he has praised the atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium in the past.

The England international said: “People talk about City’s atmosphere and you know, hand on heart when we play them, the atmosphere is incredible, like we feel it. It’s intense.”

Lauded as “insane” by former footballer George Chomakov, the ex-Liverpool star has established himself as one of the best attacking full-backs in the world, while also impressing from a defensive point of view on occasion over the past year.

Statistic

Average per 90

Assists

0.22 (87th percentile)

Progressive passes

8.40 (99th percentile)

Tackles

2.64 (87th percentile)

Interceptions

1.23 (82nd percentile)

That said, even though Trent seemingly burned his bridges with Liverpool by leaving in the summer, a move to Man City seems relatively far-fetched, especially considering he is still in the very early stages of his Real Madrid career.

Scott Boland claimed a 10-wicket match haul but Victoria’s batting collapsed on a tough pitch

Andrew McGlashan20-Feb-2025Jackson Bird joined an elite group of bowlers to take 400 Sheffield Shield wickets as he propelled New South Wales to a victory that put them firmly in contention for a place in the final.Bird claimed 5 for 68 on the third day, making full use of a surface that was getting tougher to bat on, as Victoria were bowled out for 154 chasing 230, the margin only narrowed by a late dip from Todd Murphy who flayed 40 off 32 balls.Related

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Scott Boland had earlier finished with 6 for 46 and a match haul of 10 for 102 as NSW lost their last six wickets for 31 but a fourth-innings chase was always going to be a tall order for the visitors.Bird’s first wicket of the final innings, finding the edge of Marcus Harris, took him to his milestone as he joined Clarrie Grimmett, Michael Kasprowicz, Andy Bichel and Jo Angel as the only bowlers in the 400-club.”It probably means I’ve been around a long time,” Bird said. “It’s nice to tick off the milestones along the way, but when you have a good win like that with a team, it makes it more special. So it’s a great team effort.”It’s nice to be in that [400] group. But the goal of mine now is to win a Sheffield Shield. I’ve never won a Sheffield Shield, so that’s more important to me at the moment and it’s what’s driving me to keep playing at my age.”Bird, 38, indicated that any decision on whether he would continue his career would be made at the end of the season. “I’m just taking it game by game at the moment,” he said. “I didn’t have much left in the tank after this afternoon. I don’t want to hang on too long. Whether I can mentally do another pre-season. If I do play next year, it’ll probably look different in terms of my availability.”None of Victoria’s top five reached double figures as they slid to 31 for 5 which effectively decided the contest. Bird had Tom Rogers taken at first slip, Harry Dixon miscuing a pull and forced Peter Handscomb to fend a viciously rising delivery into the cordon. He later returned to remove Fergus O’Neill for his fifth wicket and finished the game with a season’s tally of 30 at 13.96.Captain Jack Edwards was again impressive with the ball while Liam Hatcher chipped in with a brace.The victory pushed NSW into second place in what looks like a race to play South Australia in the final. It was Victoria’s third consecutive loss leaving them a tough route to the final with games against the leaders, SA, and an away trip to Western Australia.”Dropping Ollie Davies in the first innings cost us quite a bit,” coach Chris Rogers said. “With our batting we lost a number of wickets in and around breaks and just probably not up to the standard we needed to be if we’re going to win games of cricket. We’ve got a lot of questions we need to answer.”Playing our last Shield game against Queensland before the BBL break I didn’t imagine us being in this position. We’ve only got ourselves to blame. It’s frustrating and shows how competitive this league is. We’ve let too many moments slip and we need to question why that’s happening.”

It is fair to say that the deadline day of the summer transfer window at the start of this month did not go exactly to plan for Celtic and Brendan Rodgers.

The Hoops wanted to make several additions to their forward line heading into the day, and allowed Adam Idah to sign for Swansea City on a permanent deal.

Sebastian Tounekti arrived from Hammarby on a permanent deal to add to the manager’s options on the right wing, but they did not land a striker or a right winger.

Celtic were reportedly interested in a deal to sign Jesurun Rak-Sakyi on loan from Crystal Palace, only for him to remain at Selhurst Park. Meanwhile, the club made a £10m offer to sign Kasper Dolberg from Anderlecht, but lost the race for his signature to Dutch giants Ajax.

Missing out on those deals meant that the Scottish Premiership giants had to dip into the free agent market to tempt Kelechi Iheanacho into a reunion with Rodgers at Parkhead, having worked with him at Leicester City in England.

Whilst it remains to be seen whether or not the former Manchester City centre-forward will be a success in Glasgow, it was a blow for the Hoops to miss out on Dolberg.

Why missing out on Kasper Dolberg was a blow for Celtic

Missing out on a deal to sign the Denmark international from Anderlecht on deadline day was a big blow for Celtic because he could have been the main number nine for the club this season.

As aforementioned, Idah’s move to Swansea left the Hoops in need of a new centre-forward. Dolberg’s form in Belgium in recent seasons suggests that he could have been the perfect replacement.

The new Ajax signing scored 44 goals in 96 appearances in all competitions for Anderlecht, per Transfermarkt, and started the current campaign with a return of five goals in nine games.

Dolberg’s output in the Belgian Pro League in the 2024/25 campaign in comparison to Idah’s in the Premiership, in particular, illustrates the gulf in class between the two.

Appearances (starts)

31 (30)

35 (19)

xG

16.70

N/A

Goals

18

13

Conversion rate

22%

17%

Goals from outside the box

3

2

Assists

2

0

Duel success rate

50%

41%

As you can see in the table above, the 27-year-old marksman could have arrived at Parkhead as a big upgrade on the Ireland international to provide Rodgers with a lethal and reliable centre-forward option this season.

Instead, Celtic have had to take a gamble on Kelechi Iheanacho, who scored four goals in 26 matches in all competitions last season for Sevilla and Middlesbrough combined, per Sofascore.

Therefore, Celtic’s failure to get a deal over the line for Dolberg on deadline day last week was, ultimately, a big blow because of his quality and because of the gamble they have had to make as a result of that failure.

The club’s options in the number nine position could have looked a lot different, though, because they once had a striker on trial who is now worth more than £20m more than the £10m they bid on Dolberg.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

Brighton & Hove Albion centre-forward Evan Ferguson, who is currently loan at Roma, previously revealed that he had trials with the Scottish giants in his younger days.

Celtic missed out on Evan Ferguson

When asked last October if Celtic had tried to sign him in recent seasons, the striker said: “No, nothing. I went on a few trials when I was younger.”

The young marksman played for St. Kevins Boys and Bohemians in Ireland before his move to Brighton’s academy in 2021, but it is unclear as to when he went on trials with the Hoops, whether it was just before his move to Brighton or before his move to Bohemians.

Either way, Celtic will rue the fact that they missed out on bringing him over to Glasgow, whether it was their decision or his, because he is now a top striker prospect who is an incredibly valuable asset.

Ferguson scored 18 goals in 39 matches for Brighton at U21 level, per Transfermarkt, before being thrust into first-team action at the age of 17. He was valued at just £519k by Transfermarkt when he made that step up.

The Ireland international has scored 17 goals in 80 first-team matches for Brighton, but he may not get a chance to add to that tally because Roma reportedly have an option to sign him on a permanent basis for a fee of roughly £35m, which shows how much his value has soared in recent years.

Ferguson, who scored against Hungary for Ireland last weekend, scored two goals in two games for his country during the current international break, but is still looking for his first competitive goal for Roma.

22/23

5.67

6

+0.33

23/24

3.97

6

+2.03

24/25

1.36

1

-0.36

Total

10.29

13

+1.89

As you can see in the table above, the 20-year-old marksman’s finishing quality in the Premier League for Brighton suggests that he will score goals for the Italian side if they provide him with enough chances.

Former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker compared him to Manchester City striker Erling Haaland during the 2023/24 campaign, saying: “I do see a hint of Haaland about him, his stature, his movement, his youth and stuff like that.”

That was an incredibly high praise from Lineker, a former striker himself, and it came off the back of Ferguson scoring six goals in the Premier League as a teenage centre-forward, which is partly why he is such a valuable young player, because he has proven himself in a major European league.

Now, he is worth £35m, £25m more than the £10m that Celtic were willing to pay for Dolberg, and the Hoops could do with a talented striker like him in their current squad after their deadline day woes.

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