Celtic confident of signing a bigger talent than Hogh & Duran

And so, Celtic‘s season is up and running, although it wasn’t exactly the most thrilling watch, the champions grinding their way to a 1-0 win over Dundee on Monday evening.

Much like for most of 2025/26, it was Benjamin Nygren who popped up to be the hero for the hosts at Parkhead, the free-scoring Swede nodding home following a delicious, pin-point cross from Kieran Tierney.

That was all she wrote, in truth, and while any side will show signs of rust on the opening weekend, that Premiership encounter has highlighted just how much work is left to be done before deadline day.

The Glasgow giants were at least able to enjoy a first taste of Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh, albeit with the pair ending mixed fortunes on debut.

How Duran and Hogh performed against Dundee

Starting with Duran, the Colombian showed flashes of why he has already been compared to Daizen Maeda by Martin O’Neill, even injuring himself at one stage after charging down Dundee ‘keeper, Owen Goodman.

Lining up on the right flank, the 24-year-old did combine nicely with Everton target, Alistair Johnston, albeit while lacking that ability to really take on his man on the outside.

The £5.5m forward‘s best moment notably came following a delightful spin and turn inside the area, although he was unable to pick out anyone in green and white with his subsequent pull-back.

As for Hogh, well, it was a sticky first outing for the Hoops’ big money signing, the 25-year-old looking a little clunky at times, with too many flicks and first touches going astray.

Unable to really get hold of the ball, the Dane was also found wanting in front of goal, notably dragging an effort wide early in the first-half, having also unsuccessfully tried to divert Nygren’s close-range strike soon after.

Late on, the former Bodo/Glimt man also saw an attempt flash agonisingly wide of the post, as the home side sought to kill the game, with it having not been his night in truth.

It’s far too early to judge either man fully, of course, yet Monday’s outing provided further evidence that bringing in Duran and Hogh alone simply won’t be enough this summer – O’Neill’s squad is crying out for further quality.

How Celtic could sign a bigger talent than Hogh and Duran

Austrian champions LASK Linz will be Celtic’s Champions League playoff opponents this month, a tricky test that should surely ramp up the pace of the club’s transfer negotiations.

As was the case a year ago, the Parkhead side were made to pay for not strengthening before their meeting with Kairat Almaty, the club stuck in a cycle of not wanting to invest until qualification is secure, yet ultimately struggling to qualify due to the lack of investment.

Hopefully, there is work being carried out to change that dynamic, with TEAMtalk reporting that Celtic are now ‘confident’ of securing an agreement for Algerian winger, Fares Ghedjemis.

The Scottish champions are accelerating their talks to try and sign the Frosinone man, with the Serie A outfit already rejecting an offer of around £6m.

One significant positive is that the 23-year-old is said to be ‘enthusiastic’ about the chance to move to Glasgow, a factor that could prove decisive in negotiations.

Also reportedly on the agenda for rivals Rangers, the issue is that he won’t come cheap, with the Gers own bid of £8m having been knocked back by all accounts.

If an agreement can be reached, as the Hoops hope to, Ghedjemis could be the game-changing that Celtic desperately need, the left-footer so lethal off that right flank.

On the early evidence, Duran looks more adept running in behind and leading the press than conducting play from the flanks, while Hogh’s game is purely about goals, as seen in his pass accuracy rate of just 38% on Monday night.

Ghedjemis, meanwhile, is a real all-rounder, the type of talent who can win games on his own from his right-wing berth, in almost Jota or Nicolas Kuhn style.

In 2025/26, for instance, while the £8m man was operating in Italy’s second tier, he did score 15 times and register a further three assists, a fine return for any winger.

Ghedjemis also created 11 ‘big chances’, averaged 1.5 key passes per game and successfully completed 1.7 of his dribbles per game, all while enjoying an 82% pass accuracy rate.

For comparison, in his last full season at Bodo in 2025, Hogh did score and assist 22 league goals, although he created only four ‘big chances, while averaging just 0.7 and 0.3 in terms of key passes and successful dribbles per game, respectively. His pass accuracy, meanwhile, stood at just 76%.

REUTERS/Susana Vera

As for Duran, the ex-Qarabag star scored and assisted just 14 league goals in Azerbaijan last season, averaging just 0.8 key passes and a 74% pass accuracy. The South American only bettered Ghedjemis in terms of successful dribbles, boasting a 1.9 average.

Likened to former Manchester City and Leicester City star, Riyad Mahrez, Ghedjemis looks like a real superstar in the making, with it worth breaking the bank to sign him.

REUTERS/JAY BIGGERSTAFF

As Monday showed, both Duran and Hogh have their merits, yet if Celtic really want to re-energise the forward line, bringing the Algerian into the fold could represent the biggest coup of the lot.