Celtic Fans May Need To Rethink Benjamin Nygren

Benjamin Nygren might be quietly changing the conversation around his Celtic future.

Two league games into the new season, two goals are already on the board. More importantly, though, I think there has been a noticeable improvement in his overall game.

That’s significant because, if we’re being honest, there were plenty of Celtic supporters who probably wouldn’t have been devastated had a sizeable offer arrived for Nygren this summer.

I might have understood that argument a few weeks ago.

I’m becoming far less convinced by it now.

Goals From Midfield Are Gold Dust

The obvious place to start is his goals.

Nygren scored plenty last season and has immediately started this campaign by finding the net against Dundee and Kilmarnock.

At Rugby Park, his finish was another reminder of something Celtic simply cannot afford to casually discard midfielders who consistently score goals are gold dust.

You can discuss different formations, physical attributes and whether somebody has enough pace until the cows come home.

Eventually, football comes back to output.

Put a midfielder into your team who can contribute serious numbers across a season and you’ve got an enormous advantage.

That’s particularly important when Celtic are trying to rediscover the attacking output that disappeared at times last season.

Kasper Høgh’s arrival should obviously help enormously in that regard, but the responsibility cannot fall entirely on the striker.

Goals need to come from elsewhere.

Nygren has already demonstrated that he can provide them.

There Is More To It Than The Goals

What has encouraged me most during these opening games isn’t necessarily the two finishes.

His overall play looks better.

There appears to be greater purpose about what Nygren is doing when he gets possession. One thing I’ve noticed already is what looks like the beginnings of an understanding with Høgh.

At times, Nygren’s first thought almost seems to be: where’s Kasper?

That’s exactly what you want.

Celtic have finally spent serious money bringing in a proper number nine. Now the players around him need to learn his movements and recognise where he wants the ball.

If Nygren can combine his own goal threat with becoming one of Høgh’s main suppliers, suddenly you’re looking at a very different proposition.

Rather than simply asking how many goals Nygren can score, we’re potentially asking how many he can help create as well.

Perhaps The Relationship With The Support Is Changing Too

There was another problem for Nygren last season which probably had very little to do with football.

I don’t think he read the room particularly well with the Celtic support.

The ear-cupping celebration didn’t help.

When you’re still establishing yourself at a new club, telling supporters to effectively make more noise for you probably isn’t the easiest way to ingratiate yourself.

It meant that when Nygren subsequently produced a six-out-of-ten performance, there was perhaps less patience afforded to him.

That’s football.

Supporters form relationships with players, and personality inevitably becomes part of that.

Interestingly, Nygren almost seems to have styled the celebration out now.

The ear-cupping appears to be becoming his thing rather than some sort of message to the support.

Fair enough.

Keep scoring and he can cup both ears for all I care.

Be Careful What Celtic Are Giving Up

That’s why I think the conversation around Nygren needs to change slightly.

Celtic have already lost enough quality this summer.

Every outgoing player cannot simply be viewed as another transfer fee entering the accounts.

Someone then has to replace what that footballer actually contributes.

With Nygren, you’re potentially talking about replacing a midfielder capable of delivering a substantial number of goals while also developing an increasingly interesting relationship with Celtic’s new record signing.

How much does replacing that cost?

More importantly, how confident are you that Celtic would actually replace it?

Those are two very different questions.

There will undoubtedly be a figure where Celtic listen if serious interest arrives. That’s modern football, particularly for a club operating with Celtic’s model.

Right now, however, I’m far more interested in what Benjamin Nygren can give Celtic than what somebody else might give Celtic for Benjamin Nygren.

Two games.

Two goals.

An improving overall contribution.

And potentially the early signs of an understanding with Kasper Høgh that could become very important indeed.

Maybe rather than wondering whether Celtic should cash in on Benjamin Nygren, we should start appreciating exactly what we’d be losing.

Because midfielders who regularly put the ball in the net?

They’re gold dust.