Rodgers can forget Ferguson by unleashing his own 24-goal Celtic machine

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers had a big summer at Parkhead in the transfer window as there were a number of changes made to the playing squad.

Despite winning the Scottish Premiership title and the SFA Cup last season, the Northern Irishman decided to make a host of new signings to bolster the squad.

Some were enforced because of Matt O’Riley’s move to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, which led to the signings of Arne Engels and Luke McCowan from Augsburg and Dundee respectively.

The Northern Irish head coach was also ruthless with the players on the fringe of his squad, as Hyeon-gyu Oh, Mikey Johnston, and Tomoki Iwata were all sold, whilst Gustaf Lagerbielke was allowed to leave on loan.

Oh’s move to Genk on a permanent deal initially left the Hoops with Kyogo Furuhashi as their only recognised, senior, centre-forward, before the club swooped to sign Adam Idah from Norwich City for a reported fee of £9.5m after his initial loan spell.

Celtic had three strikers, with Oh, Idah, and Kyogo, in the second half of last season, and currently have two, but have been linked with adding a third to the group in the upcoming January transfer window.

Celtic’s interest in Premier League marksman

The Boot Room reported in November that Celtic are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Brighton & Hove Albion centre-forward Evan Ferguson.

It stated that Rangers and the Hoops are both keen on landing the Irish marksman on loan for the second half of the season, to bolster their respective attacks, and that they have both expressed an ‘interest’ in him.

However, they will need to beat off competition from several Premier League teams in order to secure his services. West Ham, Southampton, Leicester, and Fulham are also eyeing up a winter swoop for the 20-year-old starlet.

The Boot Room added that Brighton have given the green light for him to find a temporary club for the second half of the season, as his game time has been limited by the presence of Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro ahead of him in the pecking order.

It revealed that the Seagulls would also want assurances from any team that he signs for that the striker will play regularly, rather than sending him out on loan to be a bit-part player.

Whilst it remains to be seen whether or not Celtic will formalise their interest with an official offer to take him on loan, Ferguson does have the potential to be a good addition to the squad.

Evan Ferguson’s big potential

The Ireland international has only started two matches in the Premier League this season, but he came into the campaign with an ankle injury that kept him out from April to August.

Prior to that injury, Ferguson had scored 12 goals in 25 starts in the English top-flight in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns combined for Brighton, aged between 17 and 19 during that period.

The 20-year-old star, who has scored 13 goals from 9.99 xG in his Premier League career, has proven himself to be a fantastic and composed finisher who can make the most of the opportunities that fall his way, even against goalkeepers at the top level.

He caught the eye as a teenager in the 2023/24 campaign for Brighton, playing in 27 of their 38 league games, and showcased his potential as a player in a major European league.

As you can see in the table above, Ferguson outperformed his Expected Goals tally by 1.39 but also struggled with his individual duels, losing the majority of his battles.

Whilst these statistics suggest that the Irishman could thrive with the quality of chances that Celtic create, as he is a clinical finisher, Rodgers could save the club money by exploring an alternative option.

Instead of signing the Premier League forward on loan, the Northern Irish head coach could finally unleash B team star Daniel Cummings from the start.

Why Daniel Cummings should be unleashed

Firstly, it would be a cost-effective solution for Celtic because the club would not have to splash out on a loan fee or wages to bring Ferguson in.

Secondly, it would make more sense for the Hoops in the long-term because they would be developing one of their own players who could be a future star and a valuable asset further down the line, if they can agree a new contract with the teenage star – as his current deal expires next summer.

Finally, Cummings’ form for the B team so far this season suggests that his inclusion in the first-team squad could be just as exciting as signing Ferguson from Brighton on loan, as he has been on fire for the youth side.

In the 2024/25 campaign, the 18-year-old marksman has scored a staggering 23 goals in 23 matches across the UEFA Youth League and the Lowland League.

As you can see in the clip above, Cummings also scored a fine goal in his team’s 3-2 defeat to Rangers in the Glasgow Cup on Tuesday night, taking him to 24 goals for the season.

The Scotland youth international is yet to make his senior bow for the Hoops and a return of 38 goals in 57 academy games suggests that he deserves a chance to showcase his quality in a first-team environment sooner rather than later.

As you can see in the table above, Cummings has been significantly more prolific at youth team level than Ferguson was at Brighton before his breakthrough.

The main difference between them at this point is that the Celtic goalscoring machine has not been given an opportunity to shine in the first-team, as their statistics at youth level do not suggest that the Seagulls youngster is a significantly better prospect.

Therefore, Rodgers could forget about Ferguson by unleashing his own version of the Irish talent from the B team and using Cummings to compete with Idah and Kyogo in the second half of the season.