Kasper Hogh announced himself to the Scottish Premiership on Sunday with an impressive first-half hat-trick for Celtic in their 5-1 win over Kilmarnock.
The 25-year-old striker scored two close-range headers either side of calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner with his right foot to put Killie to the sword in the opening 45 minutes.
It was good for him to get some goals under his belt early on in his career at Parkhead after the club paid a fee that could rise to a club-record fee in excess of £11m to bring him in from Bodo/Glimt.
Given the money paid to sign him, though, the Denmark international still has a long way to go to prove that he was worth the effort to add him to Martin O’Neill‘s squad.
Why there is still a concern about Kasper Hogh’s form for Celtic
Despite scoring a hat-trick against Kilmarnock, there is still a concern about his long-term form in Glasgow because of his struggles at times when it comes to finishing chances.
Hogh benefitted from Killie playing aggressively and leaving plenty of space for Celtic to counter and create chances, as they racked up more xG (5.64) than they have in any match since the data started being collected in 2019.
The £11m-rated striker had the chance to take nine shots at goal, worth a combined 2.31 xG, and he may not get as many high-quality chances week-in-week-out this season.
|
Kasper Hogh (Eliteserien) |
2025 |
2026 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
28 |
12 |
|
xG |
17.00 |
8.22 |
|
Goals |
17 |
7 |
|
Big chances missed |
17 |
9 |
|
Conversion rate |
21% |
20% |
|
Minutes per goal |
122 |
134 |
Hogh missed more ‘big chances’ than he scored goals in his last 18 months with Bodo/Glimt in the Eliteserien, and failed to score from four shots against Dundee on his debut for the Hoops.
The long-term concern with the centre-forward, therefore, is that he may not be reliable in the bigger games when the chances become few and far between and O’Neill needs a ruthless marksman, as he needs several ‘big chances’ to score goals.
Celtic considering move to land a bigger coup than Hogh
Whilst it remains to be seen if Hogh can be consistent and decisive in the biggest matches for the club, O’Neill is eyeing a more proven star who would be an even bigger coup for the Scottish giants.
According to the Daily Mail, Celtic are one of the clubs considering a move to sign Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Hoops and Premier League side Ipswich Town are both monitoring his situation at St. James’ Park, as O’Neill weighs up a deal to add him to his goalkeeping ranks.
Meanwhile, Football Insider reports that the Magpies are expected to demand a fee of up to £10m for the experienced shot-stopper should any bids come in for him.
Whether on a permanent deal or on loan, O’Neill should push for the board to get a deal for the goalkeeper over the line because he would be an even bigger coup than Hogh.
Whilst the Dane is yet to prove his consistency and has not played in a major league in his career, Pope is an experienced and proven Premier League talent.
|
Nick Pope’s Premier League career |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Appearances |
Clean sheets |
|
25/26 |
27 |
7 |
|
24/25 |
28 |
8 |
|
23/24 |
15 |
6 |
|
22/23 |
37 |
14 |
|
21/22 |
36 |
9 |
|
20/21 |
32 |
11 |
|
19/20 |
38 |
15 |
|
18/19 |
36 |
12 |
He has recorded double figures for clean sheets four times in the Premier League in his career, which is no mean feat when you consider that he spent a lot of that time with relegation battlers Burnley.
The 6 foot 6 stopper, who has been capped ten times by England, has proven himself to be one of the best goalkeepers down south over the past seven years or so, given how many clean sheets he has racked up.
However, at the age of 34, Pope is now heading towards the latter stages of his career and Newcastle have decided to bring in 24-year-old Lukas Hornicek to be their new long-term number one.
The Magpies looking to the future could benefit Celtic’s short-term goals because it looks set to open the door for the England international to move on from St. James’ Park.
Viljami Sinisalo has only kept two clean sheets in 14 appearances in the Premiership for Celtic since the start of last season, which suggests that Pope could be an upgrade on him between the sticks, given his clean sheet output in the Premier League.
The 34-year-old star would arrive at Parkhead as a player with significant pedigree, as Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel did before him, and that is why landing his signature would be such a big coup.
Whereas, the deal to sign Hogh is more about what he could achieve in the future, as the Dane is yet to show that he can be consistent and ruthless as a finisher, which is why signing Pope would be an even bigger coup for the Hoops.
