For the second time this year Michael Nicholson is cashing in on Celtic players ahead of vital Champions League ties.
In January the final whistle had barely sounded on a narrow win over YB Bern when multiple French sources were reporting the transfer of Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes, the following afternoon the striker was pictured arriving in France.
Brendan Rodgers expected a replacement striker to be signed, Nicholson failed him on that with the impact felt through the rest of the season.
Daniel Cummings made his one and only first team appearance the following week as Celtic lost to Aston Villa in their final Champions League group match.
Away to Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 play off Celtic found themselves level on aggregate at 2-2.
While the Germans were able to bring on five Champions League level substitutes Rodgers only trusted Adam Idah and Yang Hyu-jun out of his 11 substitutes. Every other club in the Play Off round used either four or five substitutes.
The promised striker never arrived, Daizen Maeda switched inside to a central role and hit an incredible run of goals.
Unfortunately he was overplayed, post split the Japanese international was barely recognisable which is hardly surprising since not only did he play in almost all matches but he stayed on for the full 90 plus minutes. Alternatives weren’t available.
A month into the new transfer window the replacement striker remains elusive, Ben Nygren can play in a range of attacking positions but he isn’t a striker.
Now, ahead of any major incoming deals Nicholson has negotiated and agreed a deal with Como to sell Nicholas Kuhn. If only the hoops CEO was as efficient at signing players life would be much calmer for Celtic fans during the transfer window.
🚨🔵⚪️ EXCL: Como agree deal to sign Celtic forward Nicolas Kühn on permanent move.
Understand transfer fee will be €19m with medical tests to follow, personal terms also agreed in principle.
Formal details being clarified and then all signed. pic.twitter.com/eTnoDcVmCl
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 3, 2025
All plans to sell Kuhn this window should have been put on hold when Jota was injured against Dundee United at the end of April with a six to nine month timeline on his recovery.
Going into that title clincher Rodgers had three quality reliable wingers in Kuhn , Maeda and Jota.
Within the next week he will be down to one with an argument to be made that Maeda is best used as a striker, if that is the case Rodgers has James Forrest and Yang Hyun-jun to rely on with six weeks to go until the Champions League Play Off.
Ideally he would want four wingers, allowing him to make changes for the last 20/30 minutes of the matches, making full use of a Champions League ready squad.
Over two seasons Yang has at most a dozen decent performances to his name, most of them coming off the bench.
Forrest can still pull off a few tricks, make a worthwhile contribution but he won’t be as effective as Kuhn when the Champions League qualifiers come around.
According to fairly reliable media reports Celtic have been in talks to sign Mikel-Ange Balikwisha of Royal Antwerp and Sondre Orjasaeter from Sarpsborg 08.
With the money from Como about to boost Celtic’s bank balance even further the fees for Balikwisha and Orjasaeter aren’t going to be reduced.
You would have hoped that Nicholson had learned something from the January failure to sign a striker, notably Mathias Kvistgaarden of Brondby but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
August 30 moves for those two wingers can’t be ruled out, similar to the drawn out negotiations for Adam Idah and Arne Engels last summer.
Fortunately for Nicholson his bosses think that he is doing a fantastic job, the people that appointed a low profile Sports Lawyer as CEO, a job requiring a very different skillset.
Towards the end of last season Rodgers commented that his side needed three summer additions. So far he has lost Greg Taylor, Kuhn’s departure is a formality with Nygren the only first team ready arrival.
Rodgers is now looking for four signings, Celtic play their first friendly tonight with the SPFL Premiership opener less than a month away.
With the manager yet to commit to extending his contract the stakes for Celtic are higher than ever this summer, it is about more than reaching the group stage of the Champions League and building on the promising 24/25 campaign.
The club again has a very good manager, someone that wouldn’t be at Celtic if he didn’t have an affection for the club.
By selling Kuhn and Kyogo on top of Matt O’Riley, Carl Starfelt and Jota first time around without anything like adequate replacements Celtic are making the job for Rodgers more difficult than it needs to be.
It would be no surprise if the Irishman has already decided that this will be his last season as Celtic manager, he has tried his best to modernise but the culture from inside is so risk averse that Europa League Thursday’s carries great appeal. A more comfortable, less demanding environment than the Champions League.
With the hope that next summer Rodgers’ successor can help Yang, Luis Palma and Marco Tilio deliver on the potential that Mark Lawwell discovered in 2023.
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8 Comments
by Kevin lee
We’ve had your money now fuck off
by Kevin lee
Walk away now brendan don’t wait because once again your being taken for a mug
by Kevin Breen
I want Nicholson & Lawwell removed asap same as everyone but you’ve left a few details out there joe. Lost GT but we have a 1st team ready replacement in KT, also Khun had downed tools in my opinion so what’s the point of keeping him when he’s an empty shirt…which he most definitely was last part of the season. Get the money & hopefully get it spent asap
by Editor
Kuhn did not remotely down tools. Like all players except Maeda his form dipped from March onwards. He was booted black and blue in LCF at Hampden then had his nose smashed at Ibrox Jan 2 with no red cards shown, got to keep the OF competitive.
Watch how the money is ‘spent’. Half stuck in the bloated bank account followed by two project wingers from the recruitment, team. Either that or it is Tilio, Parma or Yang.
KT is a great addition, who is his back up, he was overplayed ridiculously first time around, a competent left-back option is required.
First friendly tonight, SPFL opener in less than a month, six weeks to UCL Play Off and the squad is weaker than the one that lost the Scottish Cup Final, still no sign of Kyogo’s replacement.
I wonder what Rodgers really thinks of this set up…
by Craig Cairney
Chilli out deals will happen , u could see khun couldn’t be arsed being here anymore best to cash in now rather than wait till he’s had a shite start to the season an the value goes down , Rodgers will have something up his sleeve
by Editor
Who do you trust to replace Kuhn in the UCL Play-off? Tilio, Yang or Palma?
by Gbhoy67
Who will we make most profit off in a future sale? Cos it’ll be him. I’m entering my golden years now, but one thing has NEVER CHANGED, & that is, we have a club that’s run by utter fools, who wouldn’t know the way to goal if you stuck them on the penalty box & i include Desmond in this collection. We’re just a bragging right to him when he’s with his pals & will never drag us where we need to be sadly & his years as owner prove just that
by John Hughes
Magnificent piece Editor.