Celtic could sign £7m “diamond” to replace McGregor long-term

On Sunday, Celtic defeated their fierce rivals in the League Cup Final at Hampden, prevailing on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw.

The Hoops fell behind on the cusp of half time, only for quick-fire goals from Greg Taylor and Daizen Maeda to fire Brendan Rodgers’ men in front.

Rangers did hit back, but Nicolas Kühn then seemingly won it for those donning green and white, only for the Gers to equalise straight away, almost immediately from kick off.

To penalties we went, for only the second time in Old Firm history, with the Celts converting all five spot-kicks, meaning just one save from Kasper Schmeichel was enough to see Rodgers’ side regain the trophy.

Callum McGregor hoisted the League Cup high into the Glasgow night sky, maintaining his record of having won all 14 cup finals in which he’s featured, with the Celtic skipper taking his tally to 23 major honours overall; only current teammate James Forrest and Lisbon Lion Bobby Lennox, both 25, are more decorated in Celtic’s illustrious history.

With McGregor now 31-years old, having retired from international duty earlier this year, his club side may be looking to the future in that position too.

Celtic looking at new midfielder

As reported by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Celtic are amongst a number of clubs interested in signing Benjamin Tahirović from Ajax.

Di Marzio also mentions PAOK Thessaloniki, Lazio and Fiorentina as potential suitors, noting that Tahirović’s priority would be to return to Serie A, having previously appeared for Roma, although a move elsewhere is far from off the table.

The 21-year-old is very highly rated, described by Jacek Kulig, who runs Football Talent Scout, as a midfield “diamond”.

After two seasons with I Giallorossi, Tahirović joined Ajax for £7m in June 2023, making 37 appearances during his debut campaign with the Amsterdam-based giants although, this season, he’s featured on only three occasions, out of favour since the appointment of head coach Francesco Farioli.

Having been born in Sweden, Tahirović has become a regular for Bosnia & Herzegovina, debuting against Iceland during Euro qualifying, before featuring in each of the Golden Lilies’ last eight internationals, taking his tally to 14 caps.

So, given his lack of club minutes, could Tahirović be on the move in January?

Where Benjamin Tahirović would fit in at Celtic

Tahirović has almost exclusively been deployed as a number six in front of the back-line for Roma and Ajax, as well as by Bosnia, meaning, should he move to Celtic, he’d need to displace the club captain, so let’s see how the duo compare.

As outlined in the table, McGregor and Tahirović have very similar profiles: playmakers who dictate play from deep.

Since the start of last season, for club and country, the youngster attempted more passes and had more touches, despite playing little over half the number of minutes, while the pair are comparable in terms of pass completion %, tackles and interceptions.

When the time comes, replacing McGregor is going to be nigh-on impossible for Celtic.

The same was said when Scott Brown left in 2021, departing having made 615 appearances, winning 23 trophies over 14 seasons, but McGregor has taken on the mantle of captain magnificently.

The Hoops have tried in the past to sign McGregor back-ups, but have never found one of the requisite quality.

Oliver Abildgaard (remember him?) filled in there when the captain was sidelined due to a knee injury, but departed having made a mere nine appearances, while Tomoki Iwata was sold to Birmingham last summer, having also failed to nail down a starting spot.

Tahirović is highly-rated and, should he move to the Scottish champions, he’ll have to be if he’s to earn a starting spot ahead of the skipper.