Celtic continued their fantastic start to the Scottish Premiership season with a seventh straight win in the division against Ross County away from Glasgow on Sunday.
The Hoops had to battle from 1-0 down, thanks to a penalty from Ronan Vale, to secure all three points in Dingwall, winning 2-1 after their second-half comeback.
Goals from Alistair Johnston, who deflected Callum McGregor’s shot into the back of the net, and Nicolas Kuhn, who cut inside and passed a left-footed shot into the bottom corner, completed the comeback for the Scottish giants.
Brendan Rodgers’ side have now won all seven of their games in the Premiership and that penalty from Vale on Sunday was the first goal that Kasper Schmeichel had conceded in a league game for the club, having kept six clean sheets in his first six outings.
The summer signing has enjoyed a terrific start to life in Glasgow, and Auston Trusty, Arne Engels, Alex Valle, Paulo Bernardo, Adam Idah, and Luke McCowan also featured against Ross County after joining in the summer transfer window.
Rodgers could look to make further additions to his playing squad when the January transfer window opens for business midway through the campaign, and Daizen Maeda is one player who could be upgraded.
Daizen Maeda's mixed success in the Premiership
The Japan international had scored in three successive matches in all competitions ahead of the clash away at Ross County in the Premiership on Sunday.
In the 2-1 win at the weekend, Maeda endured a frustrating afternoon on the left flank for the Hoops. He had three shots and missed one ‘big chance’ and lost five of his six duels, as the winger ended the match with zero goals and zero assists.
The 26-year-old’s wasteful finishing has been a theme throughout his time under Rodgers since the start of last season, and has been evident in the Premiership this term.
Appearances
6
Goals
2
Big chances missed
6
Big chances created
1
Assists
2
As you can see in the table above, he has missed six ‘big chances’ and only scored two goals in six appearances, which shows that the winger has not made the most of the high-quality opportunities that his teammates have created for him so far.
In the 2023/24 campaign, Maeda only scored six goals in 28 league outings for the Scottish giants and spurned 12 ‘big chances’ in that time.
The Japanese forward also made just 0.5 key passes per game and ended that league campaign with three assists, which meant that the attacker failed to reach double figures for goals and assists combined.
Since the start of last season, the Celtic winger has contributed with eight goals and five assists in 34 appearances, whilst missing 18 ‘big chances’.
With this in mind, Rodgers could land an upgrade on Maeda by swooping for a left winger with the quality to offer more in the final third – Bazoumana Toure.
Celtic's interest in Bazoumana Toure
Last month, Swedish outlet FotbollDirekt reported that Celtic are one of a number of teams interested in signing Hammarby youngster Toure in the January transfer window.
The outlet claimed that Hoops chief scout Joe Lefevre has been left impressed by the 18-year-old star’s superb performances in Sweden, and that the Scottish giants have a serious interest in the forward.
It added, however, that they will face significant competition to land his signature if they decide to pursue a deal for his services. Crystal Palace, Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica, and Eintracht Frankfurt are all also keen on the talented winger.
Amid heavy interest from teams across Europe, Hammarby are said to be hoping to rake in a fee of around €10m (£8.3m) for the teenage starlet.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not any of the reportedly interested sides – including Celtic – are prepared to spend that kind of money on the Ivorian maestro.
Rodgers should now look to move quickly and secure a deal for Toure before any of the other teams are able to swoop in ahead of the Hoops, as the Hammarby phenomenon has the potential to come in as an upgrade on Maeda on the left flank from January onwards.
Why Celtic should sign Bazoumana Toure
Despite only turning 18 in March, shortly before his move to Hammarby from ASEC Mimosas, the winger has already showcased his ability to make a big impact in the final third.
The teenage sensation has produced seven goals and three assists in all competitions for the Swedish outfit this year, which shows that the youngster has the maturity and ability to provide regular quality at first-team level already.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed him earlier this year, as shown in the post above, by describing the talented youngster as a “superb” player.
He backed his opinion up with the forward’s statistics in the Allsvenskan up to that point, which was in July, and the 18-year-old wizard has continued his fine form in recent months.
Appearances
19
28
Sofascore rating
7.31
6.99
Goals
6
6
Big chances missed
1
12
Big chances created
5
5
Dribbles completed per game
1.8
1.1
As you can see in the table above, Toure has matched Maeda’s goal and assist return from the 2023/24 campaign in nine fewer appearances, whilst only missing one ‘big chance’.
The electric forward, who has also created 1.2 chances per game in the 2024 campaign, has been far more clinical in front of goal than the Japan international this year, which suggests that he could offer a greater goal threat for the Hoops.
His 1.2 key passes per game are also more than double Maeda’s 0.5 key passes per match in the 2023/24 Premiership campaign, and this suggests that the youngster could also provide more creativity for the Scottish giants on the left flank.
If Toure can translate those performances over to the Premiership, and develop further – given he is just 18, then the teenage winger could come in as an upgrade on Maeda for Rodgers in the second half of the season and beyond, thanks to his quality as a scorer and a creator.
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