Celtic brought in two additions during the January transfer window despite frustration that more individuals weren’t acquired at Parkhead.
Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah came through the door from Rapid Vienna and Norwich City, with the former costing in the region of £3 million.
However, it has been the latter who has had the bigger impact in green and white, much to the surprise of many supporters, scoring five goals and registering a solitary assist in his opening seven appearances [Transfermarkt].
The Republic of Ireland international has provided Kyogo Furuhashi with some genuine competition for his place in the side, though he was far from the only striker mentioned in connection with Celtic during the mid-season market.
Aberdeen talisman Bojan Miovski, Norwich City loanee Sydney van Hooijdonk and Heart of Midlothian’s Lawrence Shankland all cropped up among media circles; nevertheless, no movement came to fruition.
Brondby attacker Mathias Kvistgaarden’s name has been circulated since last summer, and Football Scotland claim that late attempts were made to try and entice the 21-year-old to Glasgow’s east end in January.
At the start of this term, the Hoops also had a £4 million bid rejected for the Denmark Under-21 international amid Brendan Rodgers’ attempts to beef up his options in the final third.
Mathias Kvistgaarden opens up on Celtic transfer speculation
In a revealing interview, Kvistgaarden has admitted that he couldn’t avoid links regarding a potential switch to Parkhead during the last window.
He has also indicated that he is keen to seek a new challenge away from Brondby somewhere down the line; however, he is fully committed to events in his homeland for now.
Kvistgaarden told Tipsbladet: “It was a very quiet month. I’m not a player who wants to hear so much about what’s going on. I just want to concentrate on playing football.
Moving on to speculation involving Celtic, he then added: “Well, I’ve read the headlines. I didn’t read the articles. They just popped up when I scrolled through social media. So I couldn’t avoid seeing that occasionally there was a picture of me, and then something about Celtic.
“A couple of years ago, I was bad at that. Back then, I read a lot about what was written about me. I’ve gotten much better at letting it go. It doesn’t help me to read such things.
“I haven’t talked to them. The dream is obviously to go abroad at some point. It’s every player’s dream, but it’s not something I want to talk about now. I’m sitting here in a Brøndby jersey and have a season to play. So it doesn’t bother me at all.
“It would be an extra bonus for me, having come all the way from the youth department. This club has created me as a football player, so there is no doubt that I would like to repay them with a good transfer fee.”
Celtic have decisions to make on their summer transfer activity
With Idah exceeding expectations at Parkhead, Celtic have some intriguing decisions to make regarding their summer transfer activity.
According to reports in Ireland, the Cork-born man could be available for a fee in excess of £3 million if the Bhoys are to try and deal him in permanently.
On the flip side, Kvistgaarden is another compelling option that may be in Rodgers’ thinking as we look towards the long term, and his statistics make for positive reading, given that he has notched eight goals and seven assists across 23 outings this campaign [Transfermarkt].
In the Danish Superliga, the Birkerod-born man has demonstrated his capacity to regularly fashion opportunities for his teammates, laying on six big chances in 2023/24 [Sofascore].
Once the window opens for business, it will be fascinating to see the direction Celtic take concerning their recruitment approach.
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