Celtic enjoyed an incredibly busy deadline day at the end of the summer transfer window on Friday, with players moving on and arriving at Parkhead.
Tomoki Iwata and Mikey Johnston were sold, to Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, respectively, and will now look to progress their careers away from Glasgow.
Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers landed three of his targets to bolster his playing squad for the 2024/25 campaign, with a centre-back and two central midfielders snapped up.
Arne Engels joined from Bundesliga side Augsburg, Luke McCowan signed from Scottish Premiership rivals Dundee, and Auston Trusty was brought in from Sheffield United – all on permanent deals.
The Hoops had already signed Adam Idah, Paulo Bernardo, Viljami Sinisalo, Kasper Schmeichel, and Alex Valle prior to the busy deadline day work.
Rodgers is now preparing his side to take on Glasgow Rangers in the first Old Firm clash of the 2024/25 season at Parkhead this afternoon.
It would be a surprise to see any of the deadline day signings thrown in from the start, as they have had little time to work with the group and adapt to the tactics, but there could still be some changes to the team, starting with the centre-forward.
Rodgers should start Kyogo Furuhashi
Idah was given the nod to start as the number nine in the 3-0 win away at St Mirren last weekend, in his first start since returning from Norwich City on a permanent deal, but struggled at times.
The Ireland international only completed 56% of his attempted passes and missed one 'big chance' before being substituted for Kyogo Furuhashi in the second half.
He spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan with Celtic, scoring eight goals in 15 league matches, but may need some time to settle back in before emerging as a regular starter.
It is also worth adding that both of his goals against Rangers last season, one in the Premiership and one in the SFA Cup final, came as a substitute. Idah is a fantastic player to have as an option off the bench and could make a big impact if required in the second half today.
Instead of having the Irishman lead the line, Kyogo should be brought back in from the start as the Japan international is a reliable performer against the Gers.
The 29-year-old forward has scored seven goals in 14 Old Firm matches, winning eight of those, and knows exactly what it takes to secure all three points in the all-Glasgow clash.
Kyogo, who scored 14 goals in the Premiership last season, is yet to get off the mark in the top-flight this term, but this could be the perfect game for him to do so. His record against Rangers shows that he loves playing against them and, hopefully, today will be no different.
Alongside the Japanese marksman, Rodgers must make a change on the flank and brutally ditch James Forrest from the starting XI on the right wing.
Why James Forrest should be dropped
The veteran forward has registered two assists in three Premiership matches for the Scottish giants so far this season, so it may seem harsh to suggest that he should be dropped from the team.
However, his all-round performance against St Mirren was disappointing and Rodgers should move him to the bench to make way for another player.
He did start the game with an assist early on as captain Callum McGregor rifled a shot into the bottom corner from long-range after Forrest played the ball to him outside of the box with a simple pass.
Minutes played
60
Shots on target
0
Big chances created
0
Dribbles completed
0/2
Duels won
0/4
As you can see in the table above, the 33-year-old attacker did not go on to register any shots on target or create any 'big chances' for his teammates in the final third before being substituted in the 60th minute.
He also failed with both of his attempted dribbles and was dominated by the opposition in physical duels, losing all four of his battles with the St Mirren defenders.
With this in mind, Rodgers must now ditch Forrest from the starting berth on the right wing and must unleash Nicolas Kuhn from the start alongside Kyogo in attack.
Why Nicolas Kuhn should start
The Northern Irish boss should bring the 5 foot 9 attacker into the starting XI because his form in the Premiership so far this season has made him a likely match-winner.
He missed out from the start against St Mirren after a minor injury issue during the week but still got 30 minutes off the bench and created three chances, one 'big chance', and registered an assist in that time.
Kuhn, who was hailed as "magical" by Rodgers during pre-season, had also produced one goal and one assist in the 3-1 win over Hibernian in the League Cup in the previous match.
The German wizard has been causing havoc in the final third by cutting in on his left foot from the right flank to make things happen as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Hoops so far this term, which is why he is a match-winner for the club.
Appearances
3
Starts
2
Goals
2
Assists
2
Key passes
5
As you can see in the table above, Kuhn has directly contributed to four goals in two starts and three appearances in the top-flight this season.
That goes up to six contributions in three starts and four outings if you include the win over Hibs in the League Cup, which illustrates the huge impact he can have at the top end of the pitch as a match-winning star.
Kuhn could be a dream for Kyogo in the final third as he has the creativity to put chances on a plate for the Japan international to find the back of the net, whilst he also offers a goal threat to take some of the pressure off the striker.
Therefore, Rodgers should unleash both of them from the start ahead of Idah and Forrest for this clash with Rangers at Parkhead this afternoon.
