Rodgers could unearth his own Yaya Toure by unleashing Celtic youngster
Rodgers could unearth his own Yaya Toure by unleashing Celtic youngster
The summer transfer window officially opened for business earlier this month and the focus will, understandably, be on who Celtic could sign to bolster their squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Brendan Rodgers secured two domestic trophies in his first year back at Parkhead, winning the Scottish Premiership title and the SFA Cup, but is still looking to improve his side.
The Hoops have been linked with moves for Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers, Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden, and Dundee star Luke McCowan, among others.
However, Rodgers could also strengthen his squad by unleashing some of the talented young players who were out on loan last season, and there is one such prospect who could be the manager's own version of Yaya Toure.
Yaya Toure's style of play
The former Manchester City and Barcelona star was an incredibly powerful box-to-box midfielder who could provide quality in and out of possession.
His strength on and off the ball coupled with his terrific surging runs and fantastic end product in the final third made him a menace to Premier League teams for many years.
Toure racked up 80 goals and 37 assists in 316 appearances throughout his time in England with the Cityzens, which is an average of one goal contribution every 2.7 games.
The 6 foot 2 titan also won 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game throughout his career at club and international level - showing that he was also willing to get stuck in to win possession back for his side.
Who Celtic could make their own Yaya Toure
21-year-old midfielder Bosun Lawal could be unearthed as Rodgers' own version of the retired Ivorian star by unleashing him in the first-team next season.
Like Toure, the Ireland international stands at an imposing 6 foot 2 in the middle of the park and Omer Riza, one of his former coaches at Watford, described him as a "powerful" talent who has the qualities to be "like" the former Premier League sensation.
His form at the base of Fleetwood's midfield in League One last season backs that claim up as the towering colossus showcased his quality in and out of possession.
As you can see in the table above, Lawal provided an attacking threat from the middle of the park with six goals and six 'big chances' created in 40 matches, with half of his strikes coming from outside of the box.
In the clips above, you can see that Toure was also partial to a goal from distance and the Irish ace could offer a similarly exciting presence on the edge of the box.
Lawal also made 2.5 tackles and interceptions per game, 0.2 more per game than the retired legend averaged in his career, and provided a dominant force in midfield.
He won 54% of his duels on the deck and a staggering 74% of his aerial battles, which shows that opposition players rarely got the better of him in physical contests.
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The Hoops are reportedly interested in a deal for the centre-forward this summer.
If the 21-year-old colossus can carry his exceptional form in League One over to the Scottish Premiership next season then he could become Rodgers' own version of Yaya Toure in midfield with his qualities on and off the ball, as well as his physically imposing presence.