The summer transfer window has been open for the best part of two months and Celtic are yet to add a natural winger to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ squad.
Benjamin Nygren, who has played on the right flank, was brought in on a permanent deal, but the versatile star has been playing in central midfield throughout pre-season.
This means that the Hoops still have not replaced Portuguese forward Jota, who may not return to action until January or February of next year.
The former Rennes winger suffered an ACL injury at the start of May against Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership and has been ruled out for up to nine months.
Why losing Jota is a blow for Celtic
That injury came as a big blow for Celtic because they had only brought him back to Parkhead in the January transfer window, signing him from Rennes 18 months after they sold him to Al Ittihad.
The 26-year-old forward scored four goals and provided two assists in seven starts in the Premiership after returning to the club, hitting the ground running in his second spell.
Jota’s form on the left flank also freed up Daizen Maeda to play through the middle as a number nine, which is another reason why losing him to a long-term injury is a blow for the Hoops.
The Premiership champions and Rodgers can finally replace the Portuguese star, who has been out injured for almost three months now, by signing reported transfer target Jakob Breum, who is another right-footed left winger.
Why Celtic should sign Jakob Breum
Celtic should continue to pursue the Danish star, who is valued at around £7m, after having a bid rejected for him because he could be a fantastic replacement in the short-to-medium term for Jota.
The Go Ahead Eagles star was described as an “underrated creative winger” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and his statistics in the Eredivisie last season suggest that he could be even more of a creative threat than Jota for the Hoops.
Breum, who scored against Al Duhail in a friendly on Saturday, averaged 1.7 key passes per game and delivered five assists in 26 league games for the Dutch, which shows that he likes to create chances for his teammates on a regular basis.
|
24/25 season |
Breum (Eredivisie) |
Jota (Premiership) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
26 |
11 |
|
xG |
6.27 |
N/A |
|
Goals |
10 |
4 |
|
Minutes per goal |
206 |
143 |
|
Big chances created |
6 |
3 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.7 |
1.2 |
|
Assists |
5 |
2 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, he averaged more key passes per match than Jota did in the Premiership, despite playing for a team that only finished seventh in the league.
Playing in a dominant Celtic team that is constantly winning, as they have won the league title in each of the last four years, could help to get the best out of Breum and his attacking qualities, as he would have more opportunities to make things happen at the top end of the pitch.
That is what makes his statistics for Go Ahead Eagles really stand out in comparison to Jota’s, as he made a similar impact whilst having less to work with from his team’s play, given their standing in the division.
At the age of 21, he also has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve, and could be a long-term option for the Hoops even after Jota returns at the start of next year.
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Celtic are hoping to secure a cut-price deal to sign this star who would love Kieran Tierney.
However, his form last season suggests that the winger would come in as a fantastic short and medium term signing first and foremost so that Celtic can finally replace Jota with another left-wing option.
