Celtic open talks to sign a “mini-Haaland”

For some, Celtic‘s Premiership title win may have been a case of the big bad wolf spoiling the party, but it would be foolish to ignore the remarkable story that the Hoops enjoyed in 2025/26.

Be it the return of Martin O’Neill, Daizen Maeda’s talismanic finale or even Kelechi Iheanacho‘s super-sub heroics, there was such a captivating feel to the Glasgow side’s latest triumph.

In the case of Iheanacho, in particular, the late summer arrival fought his way back from nagging fitness woes to emerge as something of a cult figure at Parkhead, most memorably netting that winner away at Motherwell to keep the title bid alive.

Still only 29, there is a decision to be made over whether to keep the Nigerian around for another year or not, although regardless of his burgeoning status, the need for a marquee, centre-forward signing remains.

Celtic pursuing deal for new centre-forward signing

Junior Adamu is Schalke-bound, while it would be a surprise to see Tomas Cvancara snapped up permanently, the towering Czech striker missing the end of the season through injury, having scored just two goals prior to that.

With Shin Yamada and Johnny Kenny seemingly set to depart, having spent the last six months out on loan, the need for at least one new striker couldn’t be greater, even if Iheanacho does join O’Neill in sticking around a little while longer.

One name that has been floated is ex-Hibernian star, Kieron Bowie, while French forward Elias Filet is also under consideration, after netting 22 goals for Swiss side Aarau in 2025/26.

A more high-profile, costly deal could potentially be on the cards too, with reports in Italy, via SportWitness, providing the latest on Celtic’s pursuit of Elche sensation, Alvaro Rodriguez.

According to the report, there is the suggestion that talks have been held regarding a potential deal for the 21-year-old, with the Scottish champions, alongside Bournemouth, said to have made contact.

There is a belief that it could take a fee of around €20m (£17m) to get a deal done, although prior reports indicated the figure could be closer to £13m.

Either way, the Spain-born Uruguay international is likely to prove a club-record capture for Celtic, eclipsing the £11m spent on Arne Engels.

Why Alvaro could be the perfect upgrade on Iheanacho

It felt at the time that the post-deadline day signing of Iheanacho was a mere act of desperation, with Brendan Rodgers getting out the phonebook to bring his former Leicester City asset to Glasgow, following the last-gasp sale of Adam Idah.

The experienced striker certainly made his mark in the end, scoring six times in all competitions between just April and May, although it’s difficult to mark him out as a successful signing, with just nine goals to his name all season.

Lethal when fit and firing, the problem was that he simply couldn’t stay injury-free, playing in a mere 13 Premiership games, only four of which came from the start.

There’s a lot to like about Iheanacho’s finishing prowess and deadly composure in front of goal, but he sadly can’t be relied upon, hence why an upgrade like Rodriguez is needed.

The young marksman did actually only score seven league goals himself in 2025/26, but that is a respectable return for a player of his age operating in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

That was also a superior tally to what Iheanacho achieved in the Premiership (five goals), while Rodriguez also showed himself to be something of a link man, registering five assists and creating seven ‘big chances’.

For comparison, Celtic’s number 17 did not provide a single assist and created only three ‘big chances’, with much of his best work coming inside the penalty area.

A towering, left-footed number nine, what is also impressive about Rodriguez’s game is his duel-winning prowess, having won 7.2 total duels on average in LaLiga, as well as 3.9 aerial duels when leading the line.

Again, for context, Iheanacho – while playing reduced minutes – was far less of a physical focal point, averaging just 1.8 and 0.7 for those same two metrics, respectively.

That powerhouse style has seen the Elche youngster dubbed “the mini-[Erling] Haaland” in the past, as relayed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, with Rodriguez first catching the eye in Real Madrid’s youth ranks.

He only made ten first-team appearances in Madrid, although did net 21 times in 79 games for Real Madrid Castilla, prior to scoring three goals on loan at Getafe in 2024/25.

In Iheanacho’s case, the more experienced asset did score four goals that season, across his time with Middlesbrough and Sevilla, although that included just a solitary league goal.

It’s fair to say that the one-time Manchester City man hasn’t delivered consistently for a long while now, with Rodriguez, by contrast, seemingly beginning to hit his stride as an emerging force in Spanish football.

Signing such a Haaland-esque talent, considering his potential price tag, may feel like a pipedream, but this is certainly a deal worth pursuing for O’Neill and co.