Celtic splashed the cash in the summer transfer window earlier this year to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Midfielder Matt O’Riley was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion and the Hoops reacted to that by swooping for the likes of Arne Engels, Luke McCowan, and Paulo Bernardo – who re-joined permanently after his loan spell last term.
The Bhoys only paid a reported fee of £1m to Dundee to sign McCowan, but smashed their club record transfer fee to sign Engels from Augsburg for £11m.
With less than half a season played since those summer signings have played, Rodgers may be pleased with the output from his midfielders this term.
Celtic's midfield goalscorers
Captain Callum McGregor currently leads the way for midfielders with six goals in all competitions for the Scottish giants so far this season, smashing his tally of two from the 2023/24 campaign.
Engels, who was brought in for a club-record fee, is still adapting to life in Glasgow and has only managed four goals in 20 appearances for the Hoops to date, three of which came from the penalty spot.
Callum McGregor
22
6
Reo Hatate
24
5
Arne Engels
20
4
Luke McCowan
18
3
Paulo Bernardo
24
3
As you can see in the table above, Japan international Reo Hatate has outscored all three of the new signings in midfield, with five goals in 24 matches.
Every midfielder in the squad has, however, scored at least three goals in all competitions and this shows that Rodgers is getting plenty of offensive production from that area of the park.
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There is a former Celtic central midfielder, though, who has outscored Hatate, Engels, McCowan, and Bernardo for his new club this season – Tomoki Iwata.
Tomoki Iwata's form since leaving Celtic
The Hoops made the ruthless decision to cash in on the Japanese ace after he scored one goal in 24 appearances for the club in all competitions last season, despite Rodgers describing him as an “important” player who was “really good” when called upon to provide cover.
Despite his apparent importance to the side to cover for the likes of McGregor and Hatate, the Northern Irishman allowed him to move on after the arrivals of McCowan, Bernardo, and Engels.
English side Birmingham City swooped in to sign the 27-year-old star to bolster their options in the middle of the park, and it has turned out to be an exceptional piece of business for the third tier outfit.
Iwata, who only scored one goal in 42 matches for Celtic in his career in Glasgow, has already scored six goals in 16 games for Birmingham from a central midfield position.
Four of his five strikes in League One have been from outside the box and, as you can see in the clip above, that has been down to his ability to react to situations around the edge of the box to then take aim from distance.
The former Celtic star has also completed 86% of his attempted passes and won 57% of his duels across 13 appearances in the league for Birmingham, which shows that he has been reliable with the ball at his feet and in physical duels.
Iwata has thrived since moving on from Parkhead, outscoring Engels and Hatate, among others, but it appears as though it has worked out for all parties involved, as Celtic have got goals from a number of different midfielders, and the Japanese ace is now enjoying his time in England.
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