da heads bet： Celtic centre-forward Johnny Kenny ended a run of ten matches without a goal for club and country with a strike against Auchinleck Talbot in the SFA Cup on Sunday.

da esoccer bet： The Ireland international has now scored six goals in 21 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops this season, including just four goals in 15 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, per Sofascore.

His goal against the semi-professional side should not alter Martin O’Neill’s need to sign a new forward, as he has still only scored four goals from 6.82 xG, per FotMob, in the league and has not been reliable enough in the number nine position.

One striker who had been linked with a move to Glasgow was Celje marksman Franko Kovacevic, who has scored 25 goals in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt), but there is an unwanted update on his situation.

Why Celtic will not be signing Franko Kovacevic

It has been reported that Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros have agreed a deal with Celje to sign the Croatian centre-forward for a fee of €3m (£2.6m) in the January transfer window.

Kovacevic arrived in Budapest on Sunday to undergo a medical with the Hungarian outfit ahead of his permanent transfer from the Slovenian side in the coming days.

The 26-year-old number nine has scored 25 goals in 28 games for Celje in the 2025/26 campaign, including five goals in six matches in the UEFA Conference League, per Transfermarkt, which is why some supporters may be frustrated that he will not be signing for Celtic this month.

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However, there is still time left to run before the January transfer window slams shut, and there is another Hoops target who could be an even better signing than Kovacevic as an upgrade on Kenny.

The £6.5m striker Celtic should sign to replace Kenny

Celtic reportedly made contact with Hibernian to enquire about a deal to sign Kieron Bowie earlier this month, and their Premiership rivals are said to want £6.5m for the attacker.

The 23-year-old fox in the box could be a brilliant addition to Celtic’s squad and an even better signing than Kovacevic because he is a proven Premiership performer who could hit the ground running as a reliable goalscorer for the club.

As impressive as Kovacevic’s statistics are, the Croatian striker is currently playing in Slovenia and it is impossible to guarantee that he would have been able to carry his form over to Scottish football.

25/26 Premiership top scorers

Player

Goals

Lawrence Shankland

11

Tawanda Maswanhise

10

Benjamin Nygren

10

Claudio Braga

9

Kieron Bowie

8

Jamie McGrath

7

Daizen Maeda

7

Zac Sapsford

6

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos

6

James Tavernier

5

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Bowie is one of the top scorers in the Premiership this season, and has scored more than every Celtic player other than Benjamin Nygren.

The most impressive part of that, though, is that Bowie has scored his eight goals from 5.80 xG, per FotMob, whilst the Hoops attacker has scored ten goals from 7.60 xG, which shows that the Sweden international has had more high-quality chances to find the back of the net.

This also shows that he would come in as a huge upgrade on Kenny for the Hoops, because he has scored twice as many goals from less xG than the Ireland international this season.

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Bowie appears to have the clinical edge in front of goal that the Premiership champions have lacked in the number nine position with Kenny leading the line, which is why he would be such a good addition to the squad.

His proven quality and impressive finishing rate in the Scottish top-flight are the main reasons why he would be an even better signing than Kovacevic for O’Neill, because he would be a far less risky signing due to his experience in the division.

On top of that, he is also three years younger than the Croatian and would have more long-term value to the Hoops, both in terms of how many seasons he could play in his prime and how much potential he has to improve and potentially be sold on for a profit.

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Therefore, it is now down to the Celtic board to splash the cash to bring Bowie, an established Premiership star, to Parkhead to bolster O’Neill’s squad.