Kenny should never start again if Celtic sign £34m striker target
Wilfried Nancy will soon have the opportunity to make his first signings as Celtic manager when the January transfer window opens for business next week.
The French head coach has lost four of his five matches in charge of the Hoops in all competitions so far, although he did win his first game against Aberdeen last weekend.
He will have learned a lot about his squad in those five matches and that could shape what he wants the club to do in the next transfer window, which is why Johnny Kenny may be in trouble.
Why Celtic need to replace Johnny Kenny
The Ireland international’s performances in the Scottish Premiership this season suggest that Celtic need to replace the striker when the January transfer window opens for business.
Celtic’s biggest xG underperformers
25/26 Premiership
xG
xG performance
Johnny Kenny
7.45
-3.45
Hyun-jun Yang
2.14
-2.14
Shin Yamada
1.47
-1.47
Kelechi Iheanacho
3.41
-1.41
Adam Idah
0.98
-0.98
Stats via WhoScored
As you can see in the table above, Kenny has been the most wasteful finisher in the entire squad, by some distance, with four goals from 7.45 xG this season.
The 22-year-old star has started the last two matches in the Premiership against Dundee United and Aberdeen, with Kelechi Iheanacho missing through injury, and struggled in both games.
In those two outings, the young Celtic centre-forward missed a whopping four ‘big chances’ to find the back of the net, from nine shots in total, and failed to score a single goal, per Sofascore.
Ultimately, Kenny has been incredibly unreliable in front of goal as the main man for the Hoops in the number nine position, which is exactly why the Scottish giants must replace him in January.
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Now, Celtic can ensure that the Irish flop does not have to start another league game for the club by adding a reported target to their squad next month.
Why Celtic should sign Evan Ferguson
Earlier this month, it was reported that the Scottish giants have been offered the chance to sign Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, as his loan from Roma may be cut short.
Whilst it is not yet confirmed that the Irishman will be available next month, the Hoops should be pushing hard to bring him in if that aforementioned report is accurate and his loan in Italy does come to an end.
Ferguson, who has a £34m purchase option in his loan, has only scored one goal in 12 Serie A matches for Roma, per Sofascore, in what has been a frustrating spell for the young centre-forward, but he did showcase his quality in the Europa League against Celtic.
The Ireland international proved to be too hot for the Celtic defence to handle on the night, with the clip above showing that he was too sharp for Liam Scales to deal with.
Vs Celtic
Evan Ferguson
Minutes
69
Shots
3
xG
0.81
Goals
2
Touches
28
Passes completed
10/16
Key passes
1
Stats via Sofascore
Ferguson scored two goals from just 0.81 xG against the Scottish giants, which shows that he can be a clinical finisher, and that is backed up by his Premier League record with Brighton.
Prior to loan spells with West Ham and Roma, the 21-year-old number nine scored 13 Premier League goals from 10.30 xG for the Seagulls, per Understat.
The Roma loanee, who was hailed as “absolutely mustard” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has shown that he can finish chances at an impressive rate at the top level, in the Europa League against Celtic and in the Premier League.
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Unfortunately, it has not quite worked out for him at Roma, with intense competition from the likes of top-quality forwards Artem Dovbyk and Paulo Dybala, but he has shown enough in his career so far to suggest that he could be a phenomenal signing for Celtic.
Ferguson is a striker who has the finishing qualities to come in and take advantage of the high-quality opportunities that the Hoops have been creating for Kenny this season.
This means that he could come in as an instant upgrade on his international teammate, who has been far too wasteful in front of goal, which would provide Nancy with a new regular starter up front.
Bad news for Scales: Celtic opens talks to sign "immense" star in January
Celtic have reportedly opened talks to sign a star in a deal that could spell bad news for Liam Scales.
ByDan Emery
If Celtic can agree a deal to sign Ferguson on loan and manage to keep Iheanacho fit for the second half of the season, Kenny may never get the chance to start again if he ends up being the third-choice option, which would be fair based on his struggles this season.