Sports
15-goal SPFL star now more likely to join Celtic over Bowie
In Celtic‘s pursuit of a new centre-forward in the January transfer window, Hibernian striker Kieron Bowie has been linked with a move to Parkhead.
The Hoops reportedly made contact with their Scottish Premiership rivals to enquire about a deal for the Scottish number nine, who is valued at £6.5m by Hibs.
Bowie has scored eight goals and provided three assists in 18 starts in the league for Hibernian this season, per Sofascore, and only Benjamin Nygren (ten) has scored more league goals than him in the Celtic squad.
The 23-year-old marksman is, therefore, an attractive transfer target for Martin O’Neill as a player who is already a proven performer in the Premiership.
The strikers Celtic are more likely to sign than Kieron Bowie
However, a fresh report has emerged that suggests that the Hibernian striker is not very likely to sign for the reigning Premiership champions before the end of the month.
According to the Daily Mail, Bowie is not among the three strikers who are most likely to be signed by the club, which suggests that he is not among their top targets for the position.
The report mentions that West Ham’s Callum Wilson, Lorient’s Mo Bamba, Chelsea’s David Datro Fofana, Motherwell’s Tawanda Maswanhise, and Bowie have all been linked with moves to Parkhead.
It adds, though, that Bamba, Fofana, and Maswanhise are the three who are ‘most likely’ to make the switch to Glasgow before the end of the January transfer window.
This comes after O’Neill was pictured in the stands watching Motherwell’s SFA Cup clash with Ross County last weekend, a game in which Maswanhise scored, but it now remains to be seen whether or not the Hoops will make a concrete approach for the Zimbabwe international.
Why Celtic should sign Tawanda Maswanhise
The Scottish giants should push to bring the Motherwell star to Parkhead in the coming weeks because he could be an even better signing than Bowie, and the player Celtic are still trying to replace, Kyogo Furuhashi.
Kyogo, as shown in the graphic above, scored 85 goals during his time in Glasgow before a £10m move to Rennes last January, and Shin Yamada, who is yet to score a goal for Celtic, is the only striker who has been signed for a transfer fee since his departure.
Maswanhise is a forward who has the ability and Premiership experience to arrive at Parkhead as O’Neill’s main option up front, and he could be even better than the Japan international, who was recently linked with a return to the club.
The Motherwell star, who was hailed as a “live wire” by analyst Kai Watson, has scored 15 goals in all competitions this season, per Transfermarkt, whilst Kyogo has scored zero goals from 5.12 xG in the Championship with Birmingham.
If you compare Maswanhise’s current form with how Kyogo performed in the first half of last season with Celtic before his move to Rennes, the Zimbabwe international still looks like he would be a better option for the Hoops.
|
Premiership |
Kyogo (24/25) |
Maswanhise (25/26) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
22 |
19 |
|
xG |
13.62 |
5.94 |
|
Shots on target |
32 |
20 |
|
Goals |
10 |
10 |
|
Assists |
3 |
2 |
|
Duels won |
24 |
84 |
|
Stats via FotMob |
||
As you can see in the table above, the Motherwell centre-forward has scored as many goals as Kyogo did in the Premiership last term, but he has done so from less than half as much xG.
These statistics suggest that Maswanhise is far more clinical in front of goal than the Japanese marksman, whilst their respective duel numbers indicate that the 23-year-old would also offer more to the team from a physical perspective.
The Hoops target is also a proven Premiership performer, as evidenced by his form in the division this season, and that means that he could hit the ground running at Parkhead as a signing who can make an impact on day one, as he would not need time to adapt to the league.
Therefore, Maswanhise could be a brilliant addition to the squad, given he appears to be an upgrade on Kyogo and has scored two more goals than Bowie in the Premiership, which is why supporters should be pleased with this latest update.
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