The Celtic hierarchy may be regretting their transfer decisions after they turned down the chance to sign Bodo/Glimt star Ola Solbakken.
Only last week, the Bhoys were knocked out of the Europa Conference League after losing 5-1 on aggregate to the Norwegian champions.
Will Celtic win the league this season?
Yes
No
Here, we look at why Celtic might just be kicking themselves over that decision…
More efficient than Kyogo
Because the Norwegian Eliteserien league season has not started yet, Solbakken has only played competitive matches in Europe so far in the current campaign.
However, in that time, he has scored an impressive 6 goals in 12 games – essentially meaning he scores in every other game he plays.
His impressive finishing also means he has a goal conversation rate of 27% (via SofaScore), which is actually two percentage points higher than Kyogo Furuhashi, who is Celtic’s top scorer this season with 16 efforts.
Better than Abada?
Seeing as Abada was signed instead of Solbakken, it’s only fair to compare them. And as mentioned before, the Bodo/Glimt man scores a goal every other game this season (albeit from an admittedly small sample size).
Abada, on the other hand, has 14 goals in 44 games across all competitions, showing he isn’t as prolific. And across all his appearances in Europe this season, he has just three strikes in 12 games.
Still, when you add a further 11 assists to the equation, it’s fair to say the Celtic man is more than a handy player – especially being three years younger than his counterpart.
TIF Verdict on Celtic and Ola Solbakken…
Taking all that into account, despite the obvious quality in the Celtic squad already, it’s hard to deny Solbakken would have added something to their squad.
And had he been playing for the Hoops this season, perhaps Postecoglou and co would still be in Europe.
If it is any consolation, the same Scottish Daily Express report explains that the 23-year-old’s contract is up at the end of the season. Maybe Celtic will make a move for him then.
In other news: ‘Embarrassing’ – Sky Sports man slams ‘strange’ Celtic decision
Rubbish. ‘Missed out on…’ Celtic were linked with about 4000 players last summer. What a load of garbage. Kyogo and Abada have done well. Good signings. Only worry about the ones you sign not the others.