When Celtic signed Nicolas Kuhn in January, it raised a lot of eyebrows. The club were not expected to sign a winger in the winter when other positions were in need of reinforcements more urgently. The move did make more sense when Mikey Johnston and Marco Tilio both left the club on loan to West Bromwich Albion and Melbourne City respectively.
It has not taken Kuhn long to get off the mark at Celtic, as he scored in the game against Aberdeen after coming off the bench. And he might be getting more starts moving forward.
James Forrest is another Celtic winger who has been linked with a move away recently, with there rumoured to be interest from the MLS in the club legend. But it is Liel Abada who Kuhn might be the long-term replacement for.
As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Anthony Joseph said while talking on The Celtic Exchange:
"They got one of their main targets and that was Nicolas Kuhn. It might not have been what was deemed as a priority position, as we all know that left-back and a striker were the two priority positions for this window.
“But they managed to get what they see as a winger, who is going to add more quality to that department. You saw Mikey Johnston leave. James Forrest is ageing. There are question marks over Liel Abada’s long-term future. I think Kuhn is potentially a long-term replacement for Liel Abada."
Celtic starter could leave after Kuhn signing
Abada has spent the majority of the season out injured and only returned to fitness recently. But there has been a lot of talk about his long-term future at the club, mostly due to the global situation right now.
Without getting into that discussion, Abada has been a regular contributor for Celtic since arriving in the summer of 2021. He was not always a starter under the management of Ange Postecoglou but did manage to make an impact off the bench on a consistent basis.
After the arrival of Brendan Rodgers in the summer as Postecoglou's replacement, Abada was starting games regularly until his injury. Hopefully, he can make a positive contribution in the second half of the season.
Kuhn has a lot to prove if he is to be the long-term replacement for Abada. He has made a decent start but let's see how he develops over his time at Parkhead.