Celtic landed their first signing of the January transfer window earlier this month when they snapped up Nicolas Kuhn from Rapid Wien on a permanent deal.
The 24-year-old forward arrived on a five-and-a-half-year deal and made his debut off the bench against Ross County in the Scottish Premiership last weekend.
Minutes played
26
Touches
18
Dribbles completed
One
Key passes
Zero
Shots
Zero
As you can see in the table above, the German winger did not have much of an opportunity to showcase his quality to the Hoops supporters in a drab 1-0 win for Brendan Rodgers' side, thanks to an early strike from Alistair Johnston.
Football Insider reported earlier this month that the Bhoys head coach would also like to bolster his options at left-back, goalkeeper, and striker after the signing of Kuhn.
Celtic's search for a striker
One centre-forward who Celtic look set to miss out on is Bologna's Sydney van Hooijdonk, who is the son of former Hoops marksman Pierre van Hooijdonk.
The Hoops had been credited with an interest in the Dutch attacker, who has fallen out of favour with the Italian side this season, but he is now on course for a move to England.
Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph has claimed that Norwich City are in talks with the Serie A outfit over a loan deal, that would include an option to make it permanent in the summer.
This means that Celtic may have to turn their attention to alternative targets and journalist Mark Guidi has suggested that they could look to the Premier League to solve their striking conundrum.
Speaking on the The Go Radio Football Show, as relayed by The Boot Room, the reporter said that the Scottish giants could sign a player "out of the blue" in a late swoop from England if there is a chance to bring in a centre-forward who has not played regularly for their side so far this season.
Guidi went on to predict that it could be a short-term deal and that West Ham United's Danny Ings could be an option for the club, although it is worth stressing that there is no suggestion that the club hold an actual interest in the former England international at this time.
A short-term loan for the Hammers striker could make sense for all parties involved. He could earn regular game time and improve his market value for his parent club ahead of the summer and the Hoops could have a proven goalscorer on loan before being able to assess their long-term options in that position at the end of the season.
The 31-year-old marksman could be Gary Hooper 2.0 for Celtic under Rodgers as another clinical and lethal English goal poacher at Parkhead.
Gary Hooper's goal record for Celtic
The Hoops snapped the striker up from Scunthorpe in the summer of 2010 and he went on to enjoy a phenomenal three-year spell with the club.
He racked up 82 goals and 30 assists in 138 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish side, which shows that the English dynamo was a reliable scorer for Neil Lennon over a significant period of time.
Hooper's record in the Premiership was particularly impressive as the now-Barnet ace plundered 63 goals and 24 assists in 95 appearances in the division.
The now-36-year-old forward also showed promise in Europe with seven goals and one assist in 19 outings in the Europa League and Champions League combined – including qualifiers, the group stage, and knockout rounds.
Appearances
34
Goals
Six
Assists
Two
However, the 5 foot 9 striker, as you can see in the table above, failed to translate his impressive scoring for Celtic over to the top-flight in England with Norwich.
The Canaries snapped him up in the summer of 2013 and his return of six goals throughout the 2013/14 campaign was not enough to help them avoid the drop.
This shows that it is possible for a player to struggle in the Premier League but thrive as a lethal scorer in the Premiership, which is why Ings could be a big success at Parkhead in spite of his recent form.
Why Danny Ings could be Gary Hooper 2.0
Like Hooper, the 5 foot 10 striker is not a traditional, physical, number nine who will hold onto the ball under pressure and rough up opposition defenders.
What he is, however, is a clever marksman who uses his movement and agility to create chances for himself, although the 31-year-old has not scored in 11 Premier League appearances this season.
Celtic supporters should not be too discouraged by his struggles at West Ham, though, as the experienced finisher previously proved his quality in the English top-flight with Southampton and Aston Villa.
Ings racked up 46 goals and ten assists in 100 appearances for the Saints – more than one goal involvement every other game on average – and fired in an impressive 22 Premier League goals during the 2019/20 campaign.
He also scored seven goals and assisted six in 30 top-flight outings for Villa in the 2021/22 season, which is a similar goal record to the one Hooper boasted at Norwich at that level.
Journalist Leanne Prescott once hailed him as "tireless" and "clinical" striker and his record throughout his career in England backs that claim up.
Ings is a fantastic finisher who has scored 70 league goals from an Expected Goals (xG) of 65.59 since the start of the 2014/15 campaign, which shows that he rarely wastes a good opportunity in front of goal.
The veteran forward has scored more than the average player would be expected to based on the quality of chances over the last nine years or so, which is a significant period of time in which to judge his finishing.
Meanwhile, current Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi has missed more 'big chances' (12) than he has scored goals (eight) in the Premiership so far this season.
The Japan international, who scored 27 goals in the Scottish top-flight last season, has been wasteful in front of goal under Rodgers after his superb exploits under Ange Postecoglou last term.
Ings has proven himself to be a lethal finisher when provided with high-quality opportunities and could thrive with service from the likes of Matt O'Riley and Luis Palma, which is why he could be Hooper 2.0 as another reliable scorer from England.
Therefore, Celtic should look to act on Guidi's recommendation and swoop for a short-term deal for Ings if there is a chance to bring him in before the deadline.
