The Scottish Sun reported earlier this month that the Hoops are keen on a possible swoop to sign the forward from Austrian side Rapid Vienna before the end of the window.
It was claimed that the Bhoys have been keeping tabs on the young attacker’s progress this season and they now have the opportunity to make a move for him ahead of the second half of the campaign.
The report stated that Rodgers would like to bolster the attacking options within his squad and has identified Kuhn as a player who could do just that.
It was also claimed that Rapid Vienna could demand a fee within the region of £2m for the former Bayern Munich prospect, who they signed for £500k.
The Scottish Sun also revealed that a number of players could be on their way out of Parkhead over the coming weeks, which could open up space for Rodgers to make further signings.
Alexandro Bernabei is one player who could be on the chopping block as he is said to be attracting interest from teams in Europe and Argentina. He is currently behind Greg Taylor in the pecking order and could be in search of regular game time.
It was also revealed that Melbourne City are keen on a deal to bring Marco Tilio back to the club on loan. The Australia international has made two Scottish Premiership appearances for the club this season – both as a substitute.
He has not convinced Rodgers to give him regular game time and Kuhn could be brought in to replace the Australian whiz to offer more of an impact for the first-team during the second half of the season.
The 24-year-old dynamo’s impressive form for Vienna suggests that he could come in as a big upgrade on current Celtic forward Daizen Maeda, if the club can strike a deal for his services.
Daizen Maeda’s season in numbers
So far this season, the Japan international has not been a consistent performer at the top end of the pitch for the Hoops as either a scorer or a creator of goals.
Maeda has registered three goals in 17 Premiership appearances but is not able to blame a lack of service from his teammates for his lack of goals as he has missed eight ‘big chances’.
This shows that the 26-year-old forward has left a lot to be desired in front of goal as the attacker has not made the most of the opportunities that have been created for him.
He also failed to score in four Champions League matches and this means that Maeda has failed to provide quality as a scorer or finisher domestically or in Europe.
Creativity has not been his strong suit, either, as the Hoops ace has only provided two assists and made 0.5 key passes per match across his 17 league outings.
Maeda produced eight goals and five assists in 35 Premiership appearances last season, and missed 11 ‘big chances’. This means that his lack of consistent end product is not a new issue for Celtic.
He has not been able to make up for his below par finishing with impressive creativity. The experienced forward has assisted seven goals in his last 42 league games for Celtic and has not averaged more than 0.8 key passes per game in that time.
The statistics that show why Kuhn could be a big Maeda upgrade
Rodgers could land a big upgrade on Maeda by securing a £2m deal to sign Kuhn before the end of the January transfer window due to his creative ability.
The German wizard would not provide more quality as a scoring option from the wing as he has only scored two goals from 16 Bundesliga appearances this season.
However, his record at youth and reserve level suggests that the potential is there for him to develop into a better goalscorer in the future.
| Nicolas Kuhn’s youth/reserve career (via Transfermarkt) | |||
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| FC Bayern Munich | 37 | Six | Three |
| RB Leipzig | 53 | 27 | Eight |
| Ajax | 57 | 17 | 12 |
| Hannover | Two | Two | Zero |
As you can see from the table above, Kuhn enjoyed an impressive career in development football as a winger with the quality to influence games on a regular basis with goals and assists.
Whilst he has not been able to carry over his goalscoring form, the Rapid Vienna star has showcased his impressive creativity this season.
Kuhn, who was described as “absolutely rapid” by UEFA licensed coach @Inverthewing on X, has created 11 ‘big chances’ and made 1.8 key passes per game in his 16 league outings this term.
The Hoops target, who has racked up seven assists in all competitions, has created seven more ‘big chances’ than Maeda in one less appearance and averaged 1.3 more key passes per game than the Celtic forward.
He has also completed an impressive 3.1 dribbles per game with a success rate of 62%. Whereas, the Japanese winger has averaged 1.2 per match with a 49% success rate in the Premiership.
These statistics suggest that they are both wasteful in front of goal but Kuhn could be a big upgrade for Celtic both in terms of driving the team up the pitch in transition with his dribbling skills and how much the whiz can create for his teammates in the final third.
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