Brendan Rodgers has not tried to keep his desire for the Celtic board to bring in more attackers before the end of the summer transfer window a secret.
The Northern Irish head coach has lost Portuguese winger Jota to a long-term ACL injury, and may not have him back until the start of next year, whilst Nicolas Kuhn has been sold to Italian side Como.
Speaking earlier this month, Rodgers said: “I think it’s very clear. We need to improve in the front end of the pitch. The attacking department has always, and always will be, the strengths of my teams. We’ve lost important players in that area, and we need to replace players in that area.”
This shows that the Hoops head coach wants to add more attacking players in before September’s deadline, and the wide areas seem an obvious area for improvement.
At this moment in time, James Forrest, Hyun-jun Yang, and Daizen Maeda are the only senior and natural wingers in the squad for what could be a 50-60-game season.
The Scottish Premiership champions need to strengthen their options on the flanks, both because of their lack of depth and their lack of real quality.
Why Celtic need to sign a James Forrest upgrade
Forrest was called upon as a starter in the second game of the league season against Aberdeen after Rodgers was left unconvinced by Yang’s display against St Mirren on the opening day.
The 34-year-old winger is a steady performer for Celtic and will rarely let the team down with abysmal displays, but he is not a game-changer who will consistently make an impact in the final third, and nor should anyone expect him to be at this stage in his career.
Since the start of the 2024/25 campaign, Forrest has only scored one goal and provided seven assists in 36 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, per Transfermarkt.
The former Scotland international’s performances in the first two matches of the Premiership outline the kind of role he should have, and the level of output that he can offer at this point in his career.
Minutes
32
78
Key passes
0
2
Big chances created
0
0
Shots on target
0
0
Dribbles completed
0/0
3/5
Possession lost
11x
9x
As you can see in the table above, Forrest did not produce a single shot on target or create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates in either match, but did complete three dribbles and rarely lost possession of the ball.
This further backs up the idea that he should be used sparingly as a back-up option for Rodgers, as was his role in the 2024/25 campaign, rather than being a frontline option because of a lack of signings made in the transfer window.
That is why Celtic need to sign a new winger to be an upgrade on Forrest as a starter, and the club have reportedly identified a top target for that position.
Celtic pursuing deal for Danish star
According to Football Insider, Rodgers is ‘desperate’ to sign a new winger for Celtic and the Hoops have identified Jakbo Breum as their top target to bolster their options out wide.
Speaking to Football Insider, journalist Pete O’Rourke said: “Celtic are pursuing a deal for Jakob Breum from Go Ahead Eagles. He has been the top target for them this summer and they’ve had several bids turned down for him.
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“So if they can’t agree a deal for him, they could return for Balikwisha. Brendan Rodgers wants to bring in a winger, it’s been a key position for him this summer, so he’ll be hopeful they can get a deal over the line.”
Go Ahead Eagles reportedly want a fee of £5m for the Denmark U21 international, but it remains to be seen whether or not the Hoops are prepared to pay that asking price for him.
Breum is the top target, though, per O’Rourke, and they should push the boat out to pay what is needed to sign him if they feel that he would be the best fit for the squad.
Why Breum would be an upgrade on Forrest
The Danish star is a versatile attacker who can play as a number ten or on either flank, and the Hoops could utilise his talent out on the right wing as an upgrade on Forrest.
Breum would come in and offer more quality at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals in comparison to the veteran Scotsman, if he can adapt to football in Scotland and translate his performances from the Netherlands over to Glasgow.
The 21-year-old wizard, who was described as an “exciting” talent by Sport Republic video scout RDF Tactics, caught the eye with his impressive performances in the Eredivisie for Go Ahead Eagles in the 2024/25 campaign.
Breum showcased his ability to make an impact as both a scorer and a creator of goals by delivering five assists and scoring ten goals in 26 league appearances for the club, significantly outperforming his xG of 6.27.
Appearances
26
23
Goals
10
1
Big chances missed
4
4
Key passes per game
1.7
1.1
Big chances created
6
5
Assists
5
5
Dribble success rate
47%
38%
As you can see in the table above, the Danish talent outperformed Forrest with his output at the top end of the pitch, despite playing for a Go Ahead Eagles side that finished seventh in the division.
In a dominant Celtic team that consistently wins, as evidenced by their achievement of winning the last four Premiership titles, Breum could have even more opportunities to show off his quality in front of goal as both a finisher and a creative passer.
This means that the £5m-rated star could provide even more goals and assists than he did in the Eredivisie with Go Ahead Eagles, which is why he could be a big upgrade on Forrest, who he already delivered more goal contributions than at league level last term.
At the age of 21, Breum would also arrive at Parkhead as a young player who still has time left ahead of him. This means that Rodgers could work with him on the training pitch to develop and hone his skills to make him a star for the Hoops moving forward.
