Celtic enjoyed the perfect start to the 2024/25 campaign on Sunday as they secured an emphatic 4-0 win over Kilmarnock at Parkhead in their first game.
The Hoops are now top of the Scottish Premiership table after just one match and will be hoping to stay there for the remainder of the season.
Only one new signing featured in Glasgow, though, as goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel lined up between the sticks as Joe Hart's heir, and kept a relatively easy clean sheet.
Paulo Bernardo and Viljami Sinisalo, the club's only other signings this summer, were both unused substitutes at Paradise, watching on as the team dismantled Kilmarnock with ease.
There is still plenty of time left in the summer transfer window for the reigning Premiership champions to make further additions to their squad, though.
The window does not officially slam shut until the end of the month and that means that the Bhoys have over three weeks left to do business.
Brendan Rodgers could yet add more quality to his team in the short-term but the Northern Irish boss is also reportedly eyeing up a signing that could be with the future in mind.
Celtic eyeing swoop for teen marksman
According to Football Insider, the Scottish giants are one of the clubs interested in a deal to sign St Patrick's wonderkid Mason Melia this summer.
The report claims that the Hoops are preparing a bid to bring the 16-year-old sensation to Glasgow to bolster their attacking options for the 2024/25 campaign.
It states that Celtic and Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion are both readying formal offers for the teenage starlet, but there is no mention of how much the Irish side are set to demand for his services.
Football Insider adds that Manchester City previously held an interest in Melia and had him on trial last year. However, that did not lead to a contract offer from Pep Guardiola's team.
Everton are also said to have been keen on him in the past but Brighton and Celtic are the two teams leading the race for his signature right now.
The report suggests that the Hoops' strong links to Irish football, with the likes of Liam Scales, Bosun Lawal, and Mikey Johnston on their books, could show a clear pathway to first-team football for Melia, potentially giving them a leg up.
If Rodgers can beat Brighton to the 16-year-old striker's services then he could land his future Luis Suarez 2.0 for Celtic, as the young star has already been compared to the legendary forward.
Luis Suarez's progress under Rodgers
Speaking to The Herald earlier this year, the former Liverpool boss made the point that the Uruguay international was not a prolific scorer for the Reds before his appointment in the summer of 2012.
Rodgers claimed that his style of play, with attacking, aggressive, football, suits centre-forwards and that Suarez benefitted from narrowing his game to focus on his work in the box – finding the back of the net rather than moving about the pitch to find the ball.
The striker had scored 15 goals in 44 Premier League matches for Liverpool in his first 18 months at the club, after a move from Ajax in January 2011, prior to the current Celtic manager's arrival.
Rodgers, as explained above, helped the attacker to narrow his game and focus on his movement inside the box and it made a gigantic difference to his performances on the pitch.
In his two seasons under the Northern Irishman in the Premier League, Suarez emerged as a prolific scorer for Liverpool, after his average return in the top-flight prior to that.
Appearances
33
33
Goals
23
31
Assists
5
12
Shots per game
5.7
5.5
Key passes per game
2.8
2.7
As you can see in the table above, the Uruguayan sensation plundered a staggering 54 goals in 66 appearances in the Premier League for the Reds under Rodgers.
His 5.7 and 5.5 shots per game across the two campaigns show that he was given plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net as the focal point of the attack, focusing on getting shots off rather than dropping deep to collect the ball.
Why Mason Melia could be Brendan Rodgers' next Luis Suarez
Firstly, analyst Ben Mattinson claimed that Melia's instincts and dribbling skills remind him of Suarez, due to his quick feet and diminutive nature as a centre-forward.
Mattinson described the 16-year-old talent as a "relentless" and "aggressive" striker who can force his way past opposition defenders with the ball at his feet, just like the former Liverpool and Barcelona superstar.
The analyst added that the St Patrick's star is also a "confident" finisher who can find the back of the net with both feet and has great power in his shots.
Despite these rave reviews, Melia is not a signing Celtic supporters should expect to come in and hit the ground running as an immediate Suarez 2.0 for Rodgers, as he is only 16 and is yet to play outside of his home country.
The teenage starlet has shown plenty of promise at club and international level in his short career so far, though, and could develop into the manager's next version of the ex-Liverpool marksman.
Appearances
25
Starts
12
Goals
3
Assists
1
Ground duel success rate
50%
As you can see in the table above, Melia has produced four goal contributions in 12 league starts and held his own in physical duels, which is an impressive set of stats for a player who does not turn 17 until September.
The Irish whiz has scored seven goals in 43 senior games for his club to date, to go along with an eye-catching return of nine goals in 19 caps for Ireland at U17 level.
He is over a year away from turning 18 and has already scored goals at first-team level and showcased his potential to score goals regularly for his country, which is why Melia is such an exciting talent and target for the Hoops.
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Rodgers must now ensure that he can win the race for his services so that work can then be put in on the training pitch to help him fulfill his potential and eventually develop into the Hoops' own version of Suarez in the future.
