Their own Orjasaeter: Celtic star could easily become a world-class player

The January transfer window officially slammed shut on Monday of last week and it was not a particularly busy month for Celtic in the market.

Brendan Rodgers made two first-team signings before the deadline passed, with Jeffrey Schlupp arriving on loan from Premier League side Crystal Palace on deadline day.

Portuguese forward Jota also made a permanent move to the club from Rennes earlier in the window and scored his first goal on his second debut for the Hoops against Motherwell.

Celtic did, though, cash in on centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi, who completed a permanent switch to Rennes, and that left a void in the striker position, with Adam Idah the only other senior, recognised, marksman.

It was not one that was filled externally, however, as they failed to agree a deal with Brondby to sign Danish number nine Mathias Kvistgaarden, who was valued at £10m, and youngster Johnny Kenny stepped up to the first-team instead.

The Scottish Premiership leaders were also in the market to add another winger, on top of the signing of Jota, but failed to land a second wide man.

Celtic’s interest in young winger

Celtic allowed Luis Palma to join Greek giants Olympiacos on loan until the end of the season and were reportedly eyeing a young forward from Norway to replace the Honduras international.

The Hoops were interested in a deal to sign Sarpsborg winger Sondre Orjasaeter to come in and compete with the likes of Daizen Maeda, Jota, Hyun-jun Yang, and Nicolas Kuhn.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph reported on the 30th of January that the Scottish giants made an offer of £4.6m to sign the 21-year-old attacker, only for it to be rejected by the Norwegian side.

The reporter added that Sarpsborg were determined to turn down interest in their star youngster during the January window, but that Celtic were still pursuing a deal for him and negotiations were continuing beyond that rejected offer.

Joseph claimed that the Eliteserien outfit were holding out for a fee of at least £7m for the Norway U21 international and, ultimately, the Hoops did not sign the young dynamo before the deadline passed last Monday.

It now remains to be seen whether or not the Premiership champions are prepared to hold out until the summer to pursue him again ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, or if this is the end of their interest in the 21-year-old talent.

Missing out on him was a blow for the Bhoys and Rodgers because his form for Sarpsborg in the 2024 campaign suggests that he could have been a quality addition to the group for the second half of this season.

Why Sondre Orjasaeter could have been a good signing

The Norwegian starlet joined his current club from second division side Sogndal in January of last year, after he caught the eye in the second tier in his home country.

Orjasaeter produced six goals and two assists, whilst averaging a whopping 6.4 successful dribbles and 1.7 key passes per game, across 30 appearances in the second tier for Sogndal in 2023.

His form in that campaign earned him a move to the top-flight with Sarpsborg for the 2024 season, and he hit the ground running at a higher level as an electric left-winger who can score and assist goals.

Orjasaeter started all 28 of his appearances in the 2024 Eliteserien season, which shows that his manager trusted him to start week-in-week-out, and he offered an impressive level of production in those matches.

As you can see in the table above, the £7m-rated star provided a threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals, cutting in on his right foot from the left wing to make things happen in the final third.

These statistics illustrate why Orjasaeter could have been a great signing for Celtic, as he is a young talent who has showcased his ability to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

Rodgers, however, may already have his own version of the Norway U21 international brewing at Parkhead, in the form of South Korean forward Hyun-jun Yang.

Why Hyun-jun Yang could be Celtic’s Sondre Orjasaeter

Firstly, the 22-year-old attacker is similar to Orjasaeter in the sense that he is also a right-footed, young, winger who can play on the left, cutting in on his right, whilst also being able to play on the right to go down the outside of full-backs.

He is a young talent with plenty of time left to develop and improve over the seasons to come, which is what the Norwegian ace also would have been at Parkhead, and this means that there is still time for him to emerge as a regular starting XI option for Rodgers.

Gangwon president Kim Byung-ji believed in the youngster’s potential when the move was made official in the summer of 2023, as he compared him to Premier League icon Heung-min Son.

He said: “I hope Yang will continue to grow. He could easily become a world class player like Son Heung-Min. He was a mainstay for our team and was an inspiration. I look forward to watching him produce brilliant performances for Celtic in the future.”

The South Korean winger is yet to fulfill that potential, with three goals and six assists in 52 appearances for the Hoops to date, but he did provide a timely reminder of his quality in the 5-0 win over Raith Rovers on Saturday.

As you can see in the highlights above, Yang was directly involved in three of the five goals for the Scottish giants, with one goal and two assists on the night.

The Celtic youngster is yet to prove that he can deliver goals and assists consistently, as he did with eight goals and four assists in 31 K League 1 games for Gangwon in 2022, but there is still time left for him to develop that consistency.

Therefore, Rodgers could unearth his own version of Orjasaeter by helping Yang to find consistency in the final third, as he has the potential to be an electric left winger for the Hoops with his raw attributes.