Celtic will have been left frustrated by the fact that they failed to make the most of the opportunities that they created in their 0-0 draw with Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.
Per Sofascore, the Hoops created seven ‘big chances’ to find the back of the net, but Kelechi Iheanacho and Daizen Maeda both missed two each.
It was the fourth goalless draw of the season for the Scottish giants in all competitions, having also had two 0-0 draws with Kairat in regulation time and a 0-0 draw with Rangers at Ibrox.
The lack of goals in the team will do little to quiet supporters who were frustrated with the lack of high-quality additions to the squad at the top end of the pitch during the summer transfer window.
Such was the response from fans to the end of the window, Celtic felt that they needed to put out a club statement addressing the situation and explaining why they were unable to get some deals over the line.
Despite the recent goalless draws and the concerns over the summer window, Sebastian Tounekti has quickly established himself as an impressive performer for the Hoops.
Why Sebastian Tounekti is already undroppable for Celtic
The Tunisia international arrived at Parkhead on deadline day in a deal worth around £5m from Hammarby, and he is already an undroppable member of the starting line-up.
His fearless approach to games on the left wing has quickly endeared him to the supporters, as the electric forward wants to take on his man at every opportunity to progress the team up the field and make things happen in the final third.
The 23-year-old wing wizard got on the scoresheet for the first time as a Celtic player in the win over Partick Thistle in the League Cup earlier this month. He brilliantly exchanged passes with Iheanacho before finding the back of the net from inside the box.
Tounekti has yet to register a goal or an assist for the Scottish giants in his two outings in the Premiership to date, but that is not because of a lack of quality on his part.
The former Hammarby star has shown plenty of promise and quality in his two appearances in the division, but his teammates have yet to make the most of creativity in the final third.
Minutes
88
74
Shots
5
2
Dribbles completed
5
0
Pass accuracy
84%
85%
Key passes
4
2
Big chances created
0
1
As you can see in the table above, Tounekti created six chances and one ‘big chance’ in those two matches, which shows that he has provided his fellow attackers with opportunities to find the back of the net.
His creative spark and exciting play in the final third is why he is currently undroppable for Brendan Rodgers, though, because he is a shining light in a fairly dull attack for the Scottish giants at this moment in time.
The January transfer window is months away, which means that the Northern Irish head coach will have to look in-house to solve the team’s attacking issues in the coming weeks.
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One way that he could do that is to look to the B team, as he did with Colby Donovan, to unearth another forward option in 18-year-old academy starlet Rhys Dargie, who could be the next Tounekti – an exciting forward – on the wing for Celtic.
Why Celtic should unleash Rhys Dargie
Two of Celtic’s biggest problems so far this season has been their lack of goals, given the four goalless draws, and their lack of quality in the right wing position.
James Forrest and Hyun-jun Yang are the only first-team players who could be described as natural right wingers. They have combined for no goals or assists in the league this season, having combined for just six goals in the 2024/25 Premiership campaign, per WhoScored.
Maeda started on the right wing for the 23rd time in his Celtic career, out of 169 appearances, and missed two ‘big chances’. This means that he has now scored four goals in 23 appearances as a right winger for the Hoops, per Transfermarkt.
These statistics show that the Scottish giants have a clear problem in the right wing position, which is why Dargie should be handed a chance to impress in the first-team.
Donovan’s emergence in the senior side in recent weeks, starting three of the last four matches, shows that Rodgers is prepared to offer opportunities to young players if he feels that they are ready.
Dargie’s form as a right winger for the B team suggests that he may be ready to make the step up in a position that Celtic desperately need help in.
The B team star, who was described as “some player” by reporter Stu McIellan, is a versatile attacker who can play through the middle as a striker or in central midfield, but his best performances have come on the right flank.
Appearances
16
10
Minutes
894
707
Goals
9
4
Minutes per goal
99
176
Assists
0
3
As you can see in the table above, Dargie has scored 13 goals and provided three assists in 26 matches for the academy since the start of the 2024/25 campaign, which is an impressive return.
The most impressive part of that is that he has delivered six goals and three assists in seven starts as a right winger, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has excelled in that position. The position that the first-team are struggling with.
Given how much Maeda, Yang, and Forrest have struggled to deliver goals from a right-sided role for Celtic, bringing Dargie up to the first-team could be an ideal short-term solution.
His exceptional return of goals and assists for the B team suggests that he could be Tounekti 2.0 by exciting supporters on the wing with his direct play and quality end product, if the 18-year-old star can make the step up to the senior side.
It is now down to Rodgers to provide Dargie with an opportunity to excite the fans with his performances by unleashing him at first-team level this season.
