It is a big summer ahead for Celtic.
After reaching the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in 21 years, heartbreakingly beaten by Bayern Munich 3-2 on aggregate, Brendan Rodgers will demand that his team kick on next season, hence why reinforcements are required.
As Scottish Premiership champions, the Hoops will enter next season’s Champions League in the play-off round, needing to come through a two-legged tie just to return to the league phase.
Currently forecast to be seeded, although that could change, the Hoops’ potential opponents would therefore include Basel, Sturm Graz, Dynamo Kyiv, Rijeka, Malmö, Slovan Bratislava, Ludogorets Razgrad, Lech Poznań and Steaua Bucharest.
Nevertheless, whoever they face, it won’t be easy, hence why Rodgers will want to get his new signings in early, but could one of his most-prized assets actually be on the way out?
The latest on Arne Engels' future
According to reports in Italy earlier this week, Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini has identified Celtic midfielder Arne Engels as one of his top targets, with la Dea having made a ‘concrete attempt’ to sign him.
The Belgian international only arrived in Glasgow as recently as last summer, with the Celts breaking their club-record fee to sign him, costing £11m from Augsburg.
To date, Engels has made 51 appearances in hoops, scoring ten goals and providing 13 assists, named the club’s Young Player of the Year earlier this month.
Nick McPheat of BBC Sports asserts that Celtic ‘are not getting their money’s worth’ just yet, but expects Rodgers to develop Engels into ‘the complete package’.
Nevertheless, having played in the Bundesliga before, the expectation was that, one day, Engels would want to play in a top five league again, but could that day be coming sooner than anyone anticipated?
If he does go, has Rodgers already identified his dream replacement?
Celtic's dream Engels replacement
Earlier this season, Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider documented Celtic’s interest in midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
The 26-year-old joined Chelsea from Leicester City for £30m last summer, reuniting with manager Enzo Maresca, but this move certainly has not worked out for all involved, as the table below emphasises.
Total Appearances
29
14th
Total minutes
1,654
15th
PL appearances
12
18th
PL minutes
254
22nd
UECL appearances
14
1st
UECL minutes
1,195
1st
Total goals
4
10th
UECL goals
4
3rd
As the table outlines, 73% of Dewsbury-Hall’s total minutes this season have come in the UEFA Conference League, starting just two Premier League matches, these coming against Wolves in January and Brentford in April.
The most eye-catching statistic is that he’s played over 100 fewer minutes in the Premier League this season for Chelsea than Axel Disasi and João Félix, both of whom were allowed to leave on loan in January.
Thus, former Scotland international Pat Nevin told Grosvenor Sport that Dewsbury-Hall’s talents are being wasted in West London, saying “it’s a real shame… he is a quality player and hasn’t been able to show that” adding he “needs to be playing football”.
So, could a move to Celtic be on the cards for a player deemed to be worth £21m, as per Football Transfers?
Well, of course, Rodgers was his manager at Leicester, describing Dewsbury-Hall as a “revelation”, also stating “he is a wonderful demonstration of someone who works very hard”, adding that he’s a “real joy” to coach.
So, how does the “sensational” Chelsea outcast – as also dubbed by Rodgers – compare to Engels, the man he could replace in Glasgow’s East End?
Appearances
51
29
Minutes
3,245
1,654
Goals
10
4
Assists
13
3
Shots on target %
31.3%
46.9%
Pass completion %
70.1%
86.8%
Big chances created
14
4
Take-on success %
44.4%
68%
Progressive carries
226
644
Shot-creating actions
26
59
Goal-creating actions
2
9
As the table outlines, even though Engels has scored more goals and registered more assists, Dewsbury-Hall’s underlying statistics are superior pretty much across the board.
The Englishman completed more of his passes and attempted take-ons, a higher proportion of his shots hit the target, while he’s registered a higher number of progressive carries, shot-creating actions and goal-creating actions.
The Belgian, for his part, has accumulated three and a half times more big chances created.
So, it is clear that Dewsbury-Hall would be an excellent fit for this Rodgers Celtic team; the main challenge will be getting him out of Chelsea without breaking the bank, both in terms of fee and wages.
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1 ByBen Gray