Celtic are in the market for a striker this summer as Brendan Rodgers looks to add firepower in the transfer window.
Adam Idah enjoyed a brilliant loan spell at the club from Norwich City and is said to be a target for a permanent move; however, the Bhoys could be set for a frustrating wait even though Rodgers has signalled his intent to do a deal.
Kyogo Furuhashi and Hyeongyu Oh remain on the books, with the latter’s future unclear due to a peripheral role in the side across the second half of 2023/24.
Nevertheless, there is another Celtic striker thriving in the distance that shouldn’t be forgotten about in all the talk surrounding the trio mentioned above.
Johnny Kenny’s eye-catching Shamrock Rovers spell
Last week, Johnny Kenny netted for the sixth time in his last nine league matches for Shamrock Rovers against Drogheda United, taking his tally for the season to eight goals and one assist in 21 appearances across all competitions [Transfermarkt].
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has found his feet at Tallaght Stadium, leading the charge as the other Hoops look to claw their way back into the League of Ireland title race.
Formerly of Sligo Rovers, his contract at Celtic runs until 2026. Regardless, his loan boss, Stephen Bradley, is desperate to keep him in Dublin for the foreseeable future while acknowledging he could’ve fielded him more last term.
He stated last month on the striker: “Last year he looked a bit lost in his head. Could he have played more games?
“Yes, but that’s down to me. This year he’s been a different animal, in training, his mentality around the place and on the pitch, when he’s like he is at the moment you wouldn’t like to play against him, he has a bit of everything.”
When asked about Celtic potentially recalling him at some point, Bradley said humorously: “He’s here; I will be chaining him to the gates.”
Johnny Kenny and his future at Celtic
Truthfully, it is a bit unclear whether Kenny will ever break into the senior side at Celtic. Liam Scales is an example of a player from League of Ireland stock who eventually made the jump, with a loan at Aberdeen the season previous helping him along the way.
Either way, he has impressed in the Irish top flight this season, striking 22 shots on target from 48 attempts, winning 40 duels and creating eight chances, though it is clear that goalscoring is his main talent [Fotmob].
Fingers crossed, he can continue to develop at Shamrock Rovers before Celtic evaluate his future later down the line.