Three reasons why Celtic should avoid signing £1.7m striker after Benjamin Nygren deal

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Celtic appear to be making moves for another striker in the transfer window.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Benjamin Nygren’s pending Celtic arrival and young Fulham forward Callum Osmand is also on his way to Parkhead.

But it seems that Brendan Rodgers isn’t stopping there and wants to add more forwards to his ranks after reports confirmed that Shin Yamada is a target for the Hoops.

The Japanese striker used to play with Reo Hatate at Kawasaki Frontale and is seen as someone who could challenge for a first team spot.

But with a step up in quality and an expectation to compete in the Champions League again, is he worth the money?

• READ MORE: Ross McCormack says Champions League winner would ‘love’ to play for Celtic

Celtic will have too many strikers

A striker was the number one priority in the summer window after the January departure of Kyogo Furuhashi left the Bhoys with only Adam Idah and Johnny Kenny up top.

Should every deal go through, there will now be four strikers at the club before you even count Yamada.

Five would be far too many for a side that plays with one lone man up top and even if none were available, Daizen Maeda would comfortably slot into the role.

It’s hard to see where Yamada gets any game time and the only way he would is if one, or two of the other forwards, leave on loan or permanently.

Shin Yamada has a questionable goal record

Despite scoring 19 times in 2024, Yamada’s return since the turn of the year hasn’t been all that impressive.

The 25-year-old only has two league goals from 18 games this season and six in all competitions. Those aren’t numbers from someone that could come in and take the starting spot.

At Celtic, there’s no denying he would get more chances in front of goal but when you compare his record at Frontale to others, it’s hardly inspiring.

Celtic need to upgrade on what they have, not add to it

One of the arguments you could make about certain areas of the Celtic squad is the drop off in quality between players.

Certain positions are significantly weakened when Rodgers rotates the squad and after missing out on a domestic Treble last season, all eyes will be focused on going one step better next season.

With the Bhoys’ Glasgow neighbours also focused on strengthening, Celtic need to stay ahead of the pack and ensure that all signings can improve the squad and help continue to challenge for trophies as opposed to filling a gap.