When Ange Postecoglou arrived as Celtic manager, one of the things that the club did very well was use his knowledge of the J-League to bring in some quality players to Parkhead. The likes of Kyogo, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate went on to become stalwarts of the era that followed. The Hoops should look to do the same with Wilfried Nancy and the MLS.
Nancy had only managed in the MLS, at CF Montreal and Columbus Crew, before joining Celtic. So, one would expect that he has a vast knowledge of the kind of talent available there and an understanding of the ones who could fit his system and be beneficial to Celtic.
One area where Celtic will need to strengthen next month is up top. Johnny Kenny has been the starter there lately and has drawn heavy criticism for his poor finishing. The Hoops need someone who will score goals on a consistent basis.
The Celtic Star have suggested Sam Surridge of Nashville SC as someone who could a good signing for the club. An excerpt from their article reads:
"Sam Surridge is a player who Wilfried Nancy will know very well and given his height, strength and eye for a goal he could, like the aforementioned Diego Rossi, tick many of the boxes on Celtic’s to-do list for what really needs to be a busy transfer window after the two dreadfully damaging windows in 2025 that left the Celtic squad with significant gaps, notably at outside right and centre-forward. "
Celtic tipped to sign English striker with 31 goals last season
Surridge is 27 years of age and is coming off the best season of his career. He managed to score 31 goals across all competitions for Nashville SC.
Of course, there are those who will question whether that will translate to the Scottish game. One thing is clear though, he knows his way to the back of the net and can convert chances on a consistent basis. That is something that Celtic seem to be missing at the moment.
Surridge does not have a long time left on his contract. And it has been suggested that a £5 million fee could be enough to get a deal done. That feels like a bargain for a 27-year-old striker who is on the top of his game.