Celtic fans have questioned the recruitment process at Parkhead on many occasions over the last two windows.
Of course, there is now no time to waste on that as the Bhoys look to march towards a third successive league title, which will require Brendan Rodgers to rotate his squad efficiently over the run-in.
As we all know, the Irishman heeded the cry to add ‘quality’ to his squad on several occasions in the lead-up to the mid-season market opening for business.
He told Sky Sports News back in December 2023: “There’s no doubt we have to add extra quality. We don’t need quantity of players; you need quality, and that’s how you improve.”
In January, Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah became the only arrivals to walk through the Parkhead doors, with the latter commanding a fee in the region of £3 million.
Nevertheless, the former Germany Under-20 international has struggled to hit the ground running in Glasgow, registering a solitary goal against Aberdeen in his opening six appearances [Transfermarkt].
Former Celtic man Alan Stubbs has claimed he doesn’t believe Kuhn is of the required quality to feature for his old club, saying: “Oh, Kuhn, Bernardo, Bernabei – and I’m not sure whether they’re players who can take them to the next level.”
Celtic winter signing Nicolas Kuhn urged to improve
Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, Motherwell midfielder Andy Halliday, who often doubles as a pundit, has indicated that Kuhn must make more of an immediate ‘impact’ during his time at Parkhead.
Referencing his move to the Bhoys during the January transfer window, he stated: “The fact of the matter is that Celtic and Rangers are in their first title race for over a decade, so the people who were signed in January were signed to give them that type of advantage to make an impact straight away.
“As harsh it is, he hasn’t got three months to improve. He has got to make an impact now.”
The pile-on Kuhn has been subjected to over the last couple of weeks does indeed feel a tad harsh; however, he hasn’t shown enough so far to indicate he can repay the outlay of his transfer fee through performances on the field.
Although he threaded through two key balls against Motherwell, the 24-year-old only recorded a pass success rate of 63% (17/27) before being hooked just after the hour mark for Hyunjun Yang [Sofascore].
Despite this, there is still time for the ex-Ajax winger to make his mark, and he is far from the only Celtic player to underdeliver early on in their Hoops career before sparking into life.
Hopefully Kuhn won’t become disheartened and can go on to showcase his talent over the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign.
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