The centre-forward position at Celtic has been a tricky one for Brendan Rodgers to deal with for a long time now, possibly stretching back to January 2024.
Adam Idah was brought in to compete with Kyogo Furuhashi in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, before they battled it out again in the 2024/25 season.
Both Idah and Kyogo left the club this year, the latter in the summer and the former in January, and Kelechi Iheanacho is currently the first-choice number nine at Parkhead.
Why Celtic may sign another striker in January
Iheanacho has scored three goals in six matches for the Hoops in all competitions since his move to the club on a free transfer from Sevilla, but two of those three goals came from the penalty spot, per Transfermarkt. One goal from open play in six matches is not an ideal return for the Nigeria international.
Celtic bid £10m to sign Kasper Dolberg from Anderlecht on deadline day, only to miss out on his signature to Ajax, which suggests that there is cash in the bank to spend on a striker when the January window rolls around.
This means that the Hoops may dip back into the market to sign a striker in the hope of bringing in a reliable goalscorer who Rodgers can trust to deliver consistent quality.
The arrival of a new centre-forward at Parkhead in January could spell the end of Johnny Kenny’s time at Celtic, as he has not kicked on in Glasgow this year.
Why Johnny Kenny is on borrowed time at Celtic
The Irish number nine returned to the club in January after a loan spell with Shamrock Rovers to play a supporting role in the second half of last season.
Kenny scored one goal in eight appearances in the Scottish Premiership as a back-up to Idah and was only handed one start by Rodgers. This did not suggest that he was likely to kick on and become a regular in the 2025/26 campaign.
English League One side Bolton Wanderers had a bid of £500k turned down by the Hoops during the summer transfer window, as they decided to keep him as part of their squad for the first half of this season.
|
Johnny Kenny (Premiership) |
24/25 |
25/26 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
8 |
3 |
|
Starts |
1 |
0 |
|
Unused substitute |
6x |
2x |
|
Goals |
1 |
1 |
|
Big chances missed |
2 |
3 |
|
Big chances created |
1 |
0 |
|
Assists |
1 |
0 |
As you can see in the table above, Kenny has only made three appearances as a substitute in the Premiership so far this term, which shows that Rodgers does not trust him to play regular minutes.
At the end of last season, former Fulham and Leeds star Ross McCormack suggested that he needed to go to League One or the Championship in England.
McCormack said: “I would imagine you’re probably looking at maybe a loan down south somewhere, bottom end of League One or top end of the Championship and see how he goes.”
Bolton are currently ninth in League One in England, so not quite the bottom end of League One. They were willing to pay £500k to sign the Irishman from the Hoops in the summer, and that would have given him an opportunity to go away and play regular minutes to develop as a player.
Instead, Kenny is rarely getting on the pitch for Celtic. His development is stalling by not gaining experience in a competitive environment, which is why he should be looking to move on in the next window to take the next step in his career.
When you take that and the idea that Celtic may want to enter the market to sign another striker in January, the Irishman may be on borrowed time at Parkhead, as moving away from the club could be the best for all parties involved.
