Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will surely be delighted with the impressive performance level of his team throughout the 2024/25 campaign so far.
The Hoops remain unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership, top of the table by 14 points, with 16 wins from 18 matches ahead of the Old Firm clash with Rangers on this afternoon.
They have also already won the League Cup, beating their Glasgow rivals on penalties in the final at Hampden Park, after they failed to secure the trophy last season.
The team’s fantastic form across all competitions this term, however, has not stopped Rodgers from wanting to add new players to the squad during the January transfer window, which officially opened for business earlier this week.
Celtic’s manager is reportedly seeking a reunion with Scotland international Kieran Tierney, with the club said to be eyeing up a pre-contract agreement to sign him in the summer on a free transfer from Arsenal – the side that signed him from the Hoops in 2019.
The Gunners left-back is one of many stars who consistently performed for Rodgers during his first spell in charge at Parkhead, and another one of those players was midfielder Tom Rogic.
Tom Rogic's form for Brendan Rodgers
The Northern Irish head coach spent just under three years in Glasgow during his first stint at the club between the summer of 2016 and early 2019, before his move to Leicester City.
In that time, Rogic made 105 appearances for Rodgers in the middle of the park, which places him within the top ten for appearances as a Celtic player for the manager – with Tierney, Callum McGregor, and James Forrest included in the nine spots ahead of him.
This illustrates how much faith the Hoops boss had in him, as he was a regular fixture in the team during those three years, to perform week-in-week-out across all competitions.
Rogic, who left the club in the summer of 2022 and retired a year later, was a left-footed central or attacking midfielder who looked to impact matches by stepping up with goals and assists for his team.
Appearances
37
41
35
Goals
12
8
5
Assists
6
9
6
As you can see in the table above, the Australia international made a consistent impact in the final third as both a scorer and a creator of goals throughout Rodgers’ time at the club.
Rogic was a proven performer who could be relied upon to step up at the top end of the pitch, and the manager found his new version of him in Matt O’Riley, who scored 18 goals and provided 13 assists in the league, last season.
The Danish wizard, of course, left to join Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer and Rodgers is back on the search for another left-footed magician to light up his midfield, with reported interest in a Rogic-esque midfielder from the Premier League.
Celtic's interest in Premier League ace
It was recently reported by The Boot Room that Celtic are one of a host of teams interested in a swoop to sign Manchester City central midfielder James McAtee in the January transfer window.
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The report claimed that the Hoops have made enquiries about a potential swoop to sign the left-footed star, although it is unclear if it is for a permanent or loan move, but they are set to face stiff competition from plenty of clubs across Europe.
Brentford, Atalanta, Fiorentina, Bologna, Fulham, West Ham, and Nottingham Forest are just a few of the many sides eyeing up a deal to snap up the England U21 international for the second half of the campaign.
The Boot Room added that Pep Guardiola would prefer to keep hold of the young talent to bolster the depth of his squad, but the Spanish head coach will also not stand in McAtee’s way if the player decides that a move away from The Etihad is the best option for him.
This means that it could be a difficult deal for Celtic to complete for a multitude of reasons, as they will need to convince Manchester City and McAtee to agree to the move, whilst also fending off interest from numerous teams across Europe’s major leagues.
Why James McAtee could be Tom Rogic 2.0
The Hoops should push hard to win the race for his services because he could arrive at Parkhead as Rogic 2.0 for Rodgers in the second half of the season.
Like the former Celtic star, McAtee is a left-footed midfielder who can play in a central or attacking role and has the quality to make an impact at the top end of the pitch by providing goals and assists from the middle of the park.
He has not started any of his three Premier League appearances for Manchester City so far this season, but has scored four goals and provided one assist in four caps for England at U21 level this term.
McAtee, who was described as “special” by Guardiola, also produced three goals and three assists in 20 starts in the English top-flight, whilst on loan with Sheffield United, in the 2023/24 campaign, which speaks to his attacking potential.
His best form at the top end of the pitch, however, came during his loan with the Blades in the 2022/23 Championship season, as the young dynamo scored nine goals and created six ‘big chances’ in 21 starts in the second tier of English football.
Non-penalty goals
0.43
Top 1%
Expected Assisted Goals
0.20
Top 7%
Shot-creating actions
3.41
Top 18%
Progressive carries
3.89
Top 7%
Successful take-ons
1.85
Top 1%
As you can see in the table above, McAtee ranked incredibly highly among Championship midfielders that term as a scorer and a creator of goals, as well as being a threat in transition with his dribbling skills.
The midfield star’s performances made former Sheffield United forward Carl Asaba compare him to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, telling the Football Heaven podcast: “He’s like Odegaard. You play him in midfield so he’s defending for you, he’s another body for them to try and navigate away from but he likes the ball 30 yards out because he can go past you like you’re not there.”
At the age of 22, the Manchester City outcast still has plenty of potential left to fulfill and a loan to Celtic in the second half of the season could help him to find his rhythm by playing in a dominant team that would allow him to flourish as an attacker, as Rogic did during his time under Rodgers.
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