The summer transfer window officially opens for business next month and Celtic have already completed their first signing, although he will not officially join until the start of July.
Kieran Tierney will re-join the Scottish giants in the summer after his contract with Arsenal expires at the end of June, which means that the Scotland international will return on a free transfer.
The former Hoops academy graduate enjoyed a terrific first spell at Parkhead, racking up 37 assists in 170 matches in all competitions before his £25m move to The Emirates in 2019.
This suggests that Brendan Rodgers is set to have a brilliant attacking left-back option at his disposal when the 2025/26 campaign gets underway later this year.
Celtic are also set to be in the market for a player to play ahead of Tierney in the left wing position after it was revealed that Jota could be on the sidelines for up to nine months with a knee injury.
That could put the Hoops on alert for a new winger in the summer transfer window because losing the Portuguese talent to a long-term injury is a big blow.
Why losing Jota is a big blow for Celtic
The Scottish Premiership champions reportedly paid a fee of £8m to bring the attacker back to Parkhead from Rennes in the January transfer window, 18 months after they sold him to Al Ittihad for £25m.
This shows that the Hoops were willing to pay big money to reunite with the exciting winger, and for good reason, after his first spell on the flanks in Glasgow.
As you can see in the graphic above, Jota was an absolute joy to watch during his time in the team under Ange Postecoglou in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns, as he delivered goals and assists on a regular basis, whilst playing on the left and the right wing.
Prior to his recent injury, the former Benfica starlet showed that kind of form again with a return of four goals and two assists in seven starts in the Premiership during the second half of this season.
The Celtic star hit the ground running on his homecoming to Glasgow, despite scoring just one goal for Rennes in the first half of the campaign, and looked set for a strong end to the season after his fast start to life back at the club.
Unfortunately, the Scottish giants will now have to deal without having Jota for the best part of a year, which is a blow because they have lost a star who has proven that he can score and assist goals on a regular basis in Scotland.
Celtic could, however, find a perfect replacement for the Portuguese gem for the start of next season by signing their latest reported transfer target.
Celtic eyeing move for English attacker
According to The Herald, Celtic are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign 23-year-old attacker Tyrhys Dolan from Championship side Blackburn Rovers.
The report claims that the Hoops are monitoring his situation with the English side, as Rodgers seemingly lines up a swoop for the talented forward.
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Dolan’s current contract at Ewood Park is due to expire at the end of June and this means that the Scottish giants could swoop in to land him for a compensation fee, as he came up through the youth ranks at Blackburn and they would still be entitled to a nominal fee. This is quite remarkable considering the Scottish Sun suggests that he is actually valued around the £10m mark.
The Herald adds, though, that fellow Premiership side Rangers have already made contact with the player to be informed about his situation, which shows that Celtic are not the only side interested in a swoop for the English attacker.
It is now down to the Hoops to win the race for the Championship star’s signature because he could come in as a perfect replacement for Jota for Rodgers.
Why Dolan would be a perfect Jota replacement for Celtic
Like the Portuguese forward, Dolan is a versatile right-footed winger who can play out on the right or on the left flank, which means that he can play down the line as a touchline winger on the right or on the left as an inverted winger who cuts inside to create space for an overlapping full-back.
That could make him an ideal left-winger for Tierney to play with because the English ace could drift infield onto his stronger right foot and drag the right-back, which could provide the Scottish defender with opportunities to deliver crosses in from the space that creates.
This means that the Blackburn star could be the perfect Jota replacement from a stylistic perspective, because of his ability to fulfill the tactical roles that the £8m signing could play for Rodgers.
Of course, Celtic also need a winger who has the quality to provide goals and assists at the top end of the pitch to help them win matches and trophies, and Dolan also has the potential to be that forward as well.
Appearances
44
Goals
7
Conversion rate
14%
Big chances created
7
Key passes
44
Assists
6
As you can see in the table above, the 23-year-old star has delivered seven goals and six assists in the Championship this term, which is a respectable, but not outstanding, return.
It is more impressive when you consider that Blackburn rank 16th in the Championship for xG, with 51.7 xG in 46 games, which shows that they are not a front-footed team that consistently creates chances.
Celtic, meanwhile, racked up 84.0 xG in 33 matches before the split. This means that Dolan, who Tony Mowbray once hailed as scoring a “wonderful” goal, would be in a team that creates significantly more chances for their attacking players.
Therefore, the English star could add far more goals and assists to his game by playing in an attacking, dominant, side in Glasgow, which could turn his decent haul of 13 goals and assists into Jota-esque contributions over the course of a Premiership season.
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Therefore, Dolan could be the perfect replacement for the injured Jota as a low-cost signing, given his contract situation, who fits tactically and has the potential to be an excellent operator in the final third.
