Celtic cashing in on Kuhn – “It could be profit and loss at the same time,” Sutton

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·05 de julho de 2025

Celtic cashing in on Kuhn – “It could be profit and loss at the same time,” Sutton

Celtic legend Chris Sutton has admitted that he has reservations about his old club’s ability to replace Nicolas Kühn swiftly and adequately…

Nicolas Kuhn scores during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

The former Premier League and Scottish Premier League winner was having his say in the latest installment of his Daily Record column, and revealed that he doesn’t know if it was wise selling the German winger.

Vídeos OneFootball

Kühn had a remarkable first-half of the campaign last year, powering his way in domestic football and even the Champions League, with a spellbinding performance against his old club RB Leipzig being one of the most memorable highlights throughout that purple period. However, his form dipped dramatically post-European exit to Bayern Munich, and from there-on in, never looked like the same player who lit up Paradise at times.

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The Celtic manager all but confirmed yesterday that Nicolas had been wanting away towards the end of last season, when interest in him began to pique, which ultimately affected the player’s performance level on the park. The difference was stark and the insipid and half-hearted displays in the games against our main rivals and the Scottish Cup Final were light-years away from what we had expected previously.

Even so, Sutton reckons that it’s still a major risk letting Kühn go and that there’s no saying whoever comes in will hit the ground running. Writing in his weekly column, he said: “Truth of the matter is it is just another piece in the new jigsaw that Rodgers is going to have to find and fast.

Benjamin Nygren. Photo Imago

‘Nygren has arrived and it might be Rodgers believes the Swede’s ready to fill the void instantly, but that’s a big role to fill immediately. It’s no guarantee, as Kuhn showed, that you hit the ground running as a new signing and he now has to settle quickly. The prospect of going into the qualifier weaker than ending the previous season is a dangerous one. There’s time prior before that, of course, but I’m seeing various areas that need to be addressed.

“Kyogo’s permanent replacement needs to be at Celtic Park fairly soon. Daizen Maeda did a superb job playing as a central striker last season when his countryman left, but surely that’s not the long-term solution and the fact he was selected ahead of Adam Idah so often would suggest to me the Irishman also isn’t seen as the answer.

Callum Osmand signs for Celtic. Photo Celtic FC

“Callum Osmand is an interesting arrival, but that central striker with experience is still needed because, as much as he delivered up front, Maeda still looks to me like wide is his best position. With Kuhn away and Jota still out for a considerable period of time, Celtic need the Japanese out on the flank inflicting his damage.”

Daizen Maeda celebrates. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on Sunday 20 April 2025. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Sutton continued: “It’s hard to know the potential needs in the middle of the park with much depending on the future of Reo Hatate and, defensively, the talk around Cameron Carter-Vickers and an injury issue offers food for thought. He also faces a tricky task to replace Greg Taylor.

Kieran Tierney is an upgrade, I don’t think it’s merely a question one-in and one-out. Taylor didn’t just play the inverted role. He mastered it. In my eyes, Tierney plays the left-back role in a more-orthodox fashion. Much of the dominance that Rodgers’ team is able to impart on matches comes from their ability to create overloads and Taylor was often key to that in the midfield.

Brendan Rodgers. Queen’s Park 0-1 Celtic. 4 July 2025. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

He added: “You don’t need both full-backs coming infield to do it, just the one. But that’s where Celtic had nice balance because Alistair Johnston has always looked more a Tierney than a Taylor. I’ll be fascinated to see what he does in terms of that balance and Kuhn’s departure brings another issue. Like I said, if Celtic don’t suffer on the park, it’s brilliant business. If they do, it could be profit and loss at the same time.”

Paul Gillespie

Help raise funds for Celtic Youth Academy by playing the Celtic Pools Weekly Lottery and you could win up to £25,000. The lottery is £1 per week. Click on image above to join.