Celtic could now finally sell Nygren 2.0 at Parkhead this summer

For all the talk over the likes of Kasper Schmeichel and Auston Trusty of late, Celtic‘s defensive woes should not mask what has been a dour campaign for the forward line too at Parkhead.

Having flitted between a pool of strikers that includes Johnny Kenny, Shin Yamada, Callum Osmand, Kelechi Iheanacho, Junior Adamu and Tomas Cvancara, it is damning that it is Kenny – now out on loan at Bolton Wanderers – who remains the club’s highest-scoring centre-forward in 2025/26, netting just six times.

With last season’s 33-goal talisman, Daizen Maeda, enduring a real regression too, the Hoops largely have unlikely hero, Benjamin Nygren, to thank for maintaining their Premiership title push.

An at times polarising figure in Glasgow, the elegant Swede has been in red-hot form since Martin O’Neill‘s return to the dugout, firmly cementing his place at the club’s undisputed player of the season so far.

Why Nygren has to be Celtic’s player of the season

An enigma. That is the best way to describe Celtic’s 24-year-old star, with Nygren making up for his physical shortcomings by proving a simply prolific presence in 2026, in particular.

While looking a yard short of pace on occasion, you simply cannot argue with the playmaker’s record to date, having already scored 18 times in all competitions following his arrival from Nordsjaelland.

Snapped up for a bargain fee of just £1.7m, the left-footer is now the joint-top scorer in the division with 14 league goals, battling it out with reported Celtic target, Tawanda Maswanhise, for the golden boot.

Having also scored four times on the Europa League front, including in the recent drubbing at the hands of Stuttgart, Nygren’s total of 18 places him way out in front in Celtic’s scoring list this season, with that man Maeda residing in second.

That status as O’Neill’s main man has been cemented in recent weeks, in particular, scoring six times in his last seven Premiership games, notably pouncing for the equaliser in the comeback win over Kilmarnock.

A box-crashing, clinical poacher from his attacking midfield berth, the Swede has actually only missed five ‘big chances’ in the league to date, while boasting a 21% goal conversion rate.

Maswanhise, for comparison, has missed eight ‘big chances’, albeit while recording a 23% conversion rate.

With so much upheaval this season, Nygren has been the one constant performer, although is anyone really safe heading into the summer?

Celtic’s Nygren 2.0 needs to be sold this summer

Perhaps in a similar vein to Cyriel Dessers at Rangers, Nygren’s impact and quality continue to be debated, with even his recent form unable to mask wider issues.

£8m Celtic star looks like another Nygren in the making under O’Neill

Celtic kept their Premiership title hopes alive with a stunning comeback on Sunday afternoon.

In the view of Chris Sutton, he is a “good footballer”, but “I don’t think he can run”.

That constant conversation mirrors the talk that has long been centred around Arne Engels, with the young Belgian another to have continually been under the microscope in Glasgow.

While critique of the 22-year-old’s game has largely come as a result of his £11m, club-record price tag, his starting berth in the side has routinely been questioned, even while chipping in regularly with goals and assists.

Indeed, like Nygren, the former Augsburg starlet does boast an impressive record in a Celtic shirt, racking up 35 goals and assists in 90 games to date, despite typically operating as something of a deep-lying midfielder.

Like Nygren too, Engels appears to have benefited from O’Neill’s influence this season, with the 73-year-old’s two spells in charge seeing the youngster rack up nine goals and assists in 15 games.

The concern, like Nygren, however, is what he offers out of possession, despite being hailed as a “powerful” asset by Brendan Rodgers, having won just 33% of his ground duels this season, while averaging only 1.9 ball recoveries on average in the Premiership.

Engels vs Hearts – 25th Jan 2026
Stat	Record
Minutes	90
Touches	46
Pass rate	62%
Key passes	1
Dribbles	0/0
Ball lost	16
Tackles	0/0
Ground duels won	1/5
Aerial duels won	4/12
Dribbled past	2

There is an elegance and silk to his game, not least from set-pieces, although Engels can be far too easily bypassed in midfield, notably struggling away at Tynecastle last month.

There is an argument that recent results, amid the playmaker’s injury absence, have showcased his importance to the side, although if the likes of Nottingham Forest come knocking again this summer, the Parkhead hierarchy need to cash in.

For all his potential, a figure like the £25m fee that was rejected on deadline day would surely be too good to turn down again, not least with this squad in need of an Ange Postecoglou-style revamp this summer.

In a similar mould to Nygren, Engels has emerged as a key figure in a struggling Celtic side, yet is he truly good enough to take the club where it wants to go? That remains to be seen.