One of Celtic supporters’ favourite players from recent times is back at Parkhead.
On Monday, it was confirmed that Jota had rejoined Celtic from Stade Rennais for a reported fee of £8m, 18 months after moving to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad for almost three times that amount.
In less exciting news, Kyōgo Furuhashi moved in the opposite direction, joining les Rouge et Noirs for £10m.
Thus, perhaps because of this, Brendan Rodgers is looking to bolster his attacking options before the end of the window, so could a new winger arrive in Glasgow?
Celtic seeking a new wide-attacker
According to a report by Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports News, Celtic “have made an opening bid” for winger Sondre Ørjasæter.
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Joseph adds that Fiorentina, Parma and Nice are also interested in securing his services, while Eirik Nesset Hjelvik of TV2 in Norway believes Ørjasæter’s current club Sarpsborg value their star asset at one hundred million Kroner, which converts to more-or-less £7m.
This would break Sarpsborg’s outgoing transfer record, set by Henrik Meister’s €7m move to Rennes last summer, a club Celtic supporters have become quite familiar with over the last week or so.
How Sondre Ørjasæter compares to Celtic's current wingers
Ørjasæter is a 21-year-old Norway U21 international, who’s only ever played club football in his home country, joining Eliteserien outfit Sarpsborg a year ago, scoring six goals and providing seven assists in 2024, despite the fact they actually endured an underwhelming campaign, finishing ninth.
Author Timothy Fellowes praises Ørjasæter’s “skill & pace”, suggesting that “his stats & style of play are similar to Kühn”, adding he would likely have an “excellent impact” should he join Celtic.
Meantime, data analyst and scout Matthew Rowley notes he is “quick”, “very technical”, “creative” and a “good ball carrier”, all attributes Rodgers will be looking for in a new winger.
That said, even with Luis Palma potentially set to leave this month, Celtic still boast an array of quality wide-forwards, namely Kühn, Daizen Maeda, Yang Hyun-jun, James Forrest and now the returning Jota.
Kühn has 16 goals to his name this season, most notably bagging a Champions League brace against RB Leipzig, but did take time to settle after he arrived last January, scoring just three times in 18 outings.
So, let’s compare Ørjasæter’s stats at Sarpsborg to Kühn’s time at former club Rapid Wien.
Appearances
32
51
Minutes
2,598
3,416
Goals
6
7
Assists
7
10
Big chances missed
5
12
Big chances created
12
15
Dribble success %
54.5%
61.7%
Average Sofascore rating
7.29
7.22
As outlined in the table, Ørjasæter’s 2024 is very similar to Kühn’s spell in Vienna before arriving at Celtic, scoring goals, registering assists and creating big chances, but also missing plenty of big opportunities too.
The duo’s statistics are similar across the board, with the Norwegian actually earning a slightly higher average rating per match.
So, if Ørjasæter does arrive this month, he may require some time to settle in, just as Kühn did 12 months ago, but if he turns out to be even half the player the German has become, £7m could prove to be a bargain.
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