So far, this has been a busy summer transfer window for Celtic, to say the very least. We have already seen five arrivals, including big ones like Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren. On the other hand, plenty of familiar faces have headed for the exit door as well, including some who had important roles in Brendan Rodgers' team. Two that fall under that category are Greg Taylor and Nicolas Kuhn.
The hope is that Celtic will show some ambition in this summer window and go out and bring in players capable of replacing them immediately. Let's see what happens over the coming weeks and months.
Celtic do need to strengthen in some positions as well, with striker being one of them, as they never really ended up replacing Kyogo following his exit in the winter to join Rennes. We all know how that turned out and he is already in England.
On the other hand, Giuseppe Ambrosino of Napoli has been linked with a move to Celtic recently. But is the Italian striker someone that Rodgers needs, or wants, in his squad right now? As reported by Football Insider, Pete O'Rourke said:
"It’s a bit of a surprise link, with Ambrosino – I think Brendan Rodgers would prefer a more established, marquee number nine to bring into his Celtic squad.
“Rodgers is obviously looking to make inroads in the Champions League again and would probably prefer a more established striker who can come in and guarantee him goals.
“If [Ambrosino] is to leave Napoli again, it’s probably looking like another loan move for the Italy under-21 international."
Brendan Rodgers may not want player Celtic are trying to sign
To be honest, Celtic's striker position is confusing right now. Daizen Maeda scored 33 goals last season but it is unclear whether he will play as a striker or a winger next season, especially after the departure of Kuhn and the long-term injury picked up by Jota. It is not a foregone conclusion that he will stay either, with Premier League clubs believed to be interested.
Adam Idah scored 20 goals last season but he was largely a backup option, either to Kyogo or Maeda. That being said, when given starts, there were a number of games in which he did not do enough. So, is he good enough to be the starting number 9 for Celtic?
Now, coming back to this summer transfer window. Celtic have signed Callum Osmand, a promising talent but a project signing. They already have a similar profile in the form of Johnny Kenny. The club are also believed to be close to signing Shin Yamada, another striker not exactly proven at the top level. And then the links with Ambrosino.
The strategy just does not make sense. Are the Hoops looking to sign multiple players in the same position in hopes that one or two will work out? And if so, would not be smarter to go out and bring in a proven and experienced goalscorer instead?