Sports
Celtic have opened talks to sign “clinical” star who’d be the end of Kenny
It has unfortunately become apparent that Celtic need to move on from Irish centre-forward Johnny Kenny, who has not been a reliable goalscorer this season.
The 22-year-old striker has gone nine matches without a goal, last scoring against Kilmarnock in November, and has only scored four goals from 6.82 xG in the Scottish Premiership, per FotMob.
Kenny, therefore, has not been clinical enough to nail down a place as the main centre-forward for the Scottish giants, which is why Daizen Maeda has been starting up front ahead of him, out of position, in recent matches.
Wilfried Nancy and Martin O’Neill both preferred the Japan international over the Irishman up front, which does not bode well for his short-term prospects at Parkhead.
Celtic open talks to sign new striker
Kenny could be pushed even further down the pecking order before the end of the month, as the club are reportedly looking to add a new striker to their squad.
According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, Celtic are interested in a deal to sign West Ham United centre-forward Callum Wilson in the January transfer window.
The reporter claims that the Hoops have made contact to open talks with the Premier League side to gauge how feasible a deal for the former England international is.
Joseph states that the Premiership champions are trying to find out whether or not Wilson would be interested in making a move to Parkhead in the coming weeks.
The journalist adds that there is interest from teams in England and Saudi Arabia, which means that there will be some tough competition for Celtic to beat off if they want to land the experienced marksman.
O’Neill played coy and said interest in Wilson was “news” to him in his pre-match press conference, and time will tell whether this reported interest is genuine or not.
Why this is bad news for Johnny Kenny
As aforementioned, Kenny’s poor form in front of goal in the Premiership this season has left him behind Maeda in the pecking order in the number nine position for Celtic, whilst he may also be behind Kelechi Iheanacho when the Nigerian striker is fit, as he has started three of his four league appearances.
This means that the Ireland international could be the fourth-choice striker if Wilson joins and Maeda and Iheanacho are both fit, in a team that only plays with one striker in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation under O’Neill.
Kenny, therefore, could find himself in a position where he needs to consider his future at the club towards the end of the transfer window, as a move away from Celtic could be his only realistic route to regular game time in the second half of the season.
That means that a deal to sign Wilson from West Ham in the coming weeks could be the end of the Irishman’s time at Parkhead, particularly as he could arrive in Glasgow as a big upgrade on the wasteful forward.
Reporter Chris Waugh once described Wilson as a “clinical” player during his time at Newcastle United, and his career statistics in the Premier League back up that claim.
|
Callum Wilson’s PL finishing |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
xG |
Goals |
|
25/26 |
3.6 |
4 |
|
24/25 |
0.4 |
0 |
|
23/24 |
8.8 |
9 |
|
22/23 |
17.4 |
18 |
|
21/22 |
6.2 |
8 |
|
20/21 |
12.4 |
12 |
|
19/20 |
9.9 |
8 |
|
18/19 |
13.4 |
14 |
|
17/18 |
7.6 |
8 |
As you can see in the table above, the English marksman has outperformed his xG more often than not in the Premier League for Bournemouth, Newcastle, and West Ham, scoring four goals from 3.6 xG in the current campaign.
He currently has as many league goals in the Premier League as Kenny does in the Premiership, despite having had 3.22 xG less to work with in front of goal.
These statistics suggest that Wilson is more likely to provide a reliable presence in front of goal as a pure finisher, as he has been more effective and efficient in one of the best leagues in Europe whilst playing for a team battling relegation than Kenny has been playing for an incredibly dominant Celtic team.
This is why the club’s interest in signing the English attacker should concern the current Hoops number nine, as it could mean that his time at Parkhead is coming to an end.
Celtic have held talks “in the last 48hrs” to sign a £2.6m upgrade on Maeda
Celtic are reportedly eyeing up a deal to sign a prolific striker who would be an upgrade on Daizen Maeda.
It would then be interesting to see if an exit for Kenny is explored before the January transfer window slams shut at the start of next month.
