Nicolas Kuhn has enjoyed a meteoric rise at Celtic over the past few months. He had been nothing extraordinary in the second half of last season after arriving from Rapid Vienna in January. As a result, it was not guaranteed that the German winger would have a starting spot and there were plenty of fans who wanted another winger to be signed.
Kuhn has quickly established himself as the talisman for Celtic following the departure of Matt O'Riley. In 17 appearances, the German has made 21 goal contributions.
And he is proving himself to be a handful at the Champions League level as well. In his latest outing in Europe's top competition, Kuhn scored a brace to help Celtic to a win against RB Leipzig.
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, this kind of form has seen Kuhn being linked with a move away from Celtic. A few Premier League clubs are believed to be monitoring his progress already. Would leaving Parkhead make sense for him right now though?
Chris Sutton offers blunt message to Nicolas Kuhn about Celtic exit
Chris Sutton has sent a clear message to Kuhn regarding a possible Celtic exit. He wrote in his column in the Daily Record:
"He only needs to look at the Matt O’Riley situation. O’Riley may have been tempted by the likes of Atletico Madrid and Atalanta but Celtic remained firm in their valuation and the player kept his head down and kept working hard for the side.
Eventually he and the club got their rewards. It’ll be the same for Kuhn. The way he’s going, he’s a cert for player of the year in Scotland and he’s going to be competing for silverware and against the top sides in Europe. There’s no need for him to jump ship right now. Sit tight and keep progressing and the big move will come."
That is one thing that has become clear over the years. If you can perform at a high level at Celtic, top clubs will come calling.
Kieran Tierney made the move to Arsenal in 2019. Atletico Madrid and Atalanta had tried to sign O'Riley before he ended up joining Brighton & Hove Albion. And there have been plenty of others who have switched the Parkhead bright lights for a chance in the Premier League.
Kuhn should not be in a hurry. If he can keep performing, he will continue to hold the cards to his future. But he must be sure that he is ready for it before making a Parkhead exit.