The Bedroom Soccer Scout

  By Brendan Hunter   With the summer transfer window fast approaching, it is only natural to look at potential recruits that are both interesting and realistic. Here are 4 transfer targets Celtic should be looking at this summer if they realistically want to make a run in Europe this forthcoming season.   Target 1: Michael Olunga Position: Striker/Centre Forward The big Kenyan might be a familiar name to those who watch the J league, with him playing for Kashiwa Reysol. He even scored 8 goals in one J league match in 2020.  28 goals in 32 games led to him making a lucrative move to Qatar with Al Duhail. The goals kept coming, and in just 4 and a half seasons he racked up an impressive 130 goals in all competitions. The 31-year-old was recently released and is available for a free. While Celtic will almost certainly struggle to match the salary offered in Qatar, taking a punt on the 6ft 4 striker is a no-brainer. Blessed with height, strength and pace, Olunga is a pl...

  Date of birth: 23rd March 2001 Country: Japan Position: Centre Forward Height: 173cm Preferred foot: Right Club: Shonan Bellmare Shonan have been the surprise package so far in the 2025 J league season, winning all 3 games and sitting top of the league. The football has been direct and one of the main reasons their attacking style of play has worked is due to the phenomenal play of Sho Fukuda. A complete forward build, Fukuda posseses all the traits that tick the boxes of the modern managers of Europe. Quickness, finishing, pressing and the ability to come short to pick the ball up are all on show each time he is on the park. However his biggest strength for me at least is his off the ball movement. Often finding himself wide open in the box is not a coincidence, it is a result of his constant movement, making him a complete nightmare for opposing defenders who are not sure whether to man mark him or guard their box. This makes him both a danger for goals but also assists, due to...

  The death of a football club is a sad event for all fans of the sport, regardless of who you support. When it is a former giant it is even more upsetting. Their famous youth academy has produced several top class players over the years, including Aurelien Tchoameni, Jules Kounde, Henri Saviet, Yacine Adli as well as having former players such as Zidane, Pauleta, Wiltord, Gourcuff and Micoud. Sadly the future of Bordeaux looks to be bleak with the club set to release all their players before dropping down the divisions. Here I will take a look at who is available. Issouf Sissokho: A 22 year old box to box midfielder from Mali could be worth a pick up for a lot of clubs across Europe. His fitness has a little room for improvement as he only started 14 out of the 31 games he played last season. However, the potential is there and he could be a solid investment for clubs. Completing 90% of his passes showcases his passing ability. He is more likely to be used as a sporidic player at ...

  Date of birth: 22 Jan 2000 Country: Algeria Position: Central Defender Height: 191cm Preferred foot: Right Club: Esperance Tunis In the modern game central defenders have gone through perhaps the biggest transformation. Going from having few chances to impact to now being involved in the build up, scouts are looking for players that have it all and with more clubs looking to lesser known leagues to find players that fit the modern standard at an affordable price, Mohamed Tougal currently playing in Tunisia will no doubt be on the lists of many. Tougal has been a mainstay in the Tunis squad since joining from NA Hussein Day in his native Algeria, helping the club win 3 league titles. Tougai has a number of strengths that are in demand from European clubs. His main asset for me is his physical strength often dominating his opponents in both the air and ground. In this seasons CAF Champions League Tougai won 4.9 duals per game at a fantastic 68% success rate. When it comes to classi...

  Date of birth: 29 Jan 2002 Country: Japan Position: Am/ RW Height: 170cm Preferred foot: Right Club: FC Tokyo (On loan from Kashima Antlers) Ryotaro Araki has been on my radar for many years now, having broken through at Kashima Antlers at 2020, having a breakthrough year in 2021, winning the J League rookie of the year. Just like many Japanese legends such as Shunsuke Nakamura, Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa, Araki is a technically brilliant attacking midfielder. In the 2021 season, Araki made 6 assists and notched up 10 goals as he won the award. However a few injuries including a herniated disc has set him back. However this season, Araki has reminded us all just how brilliant he is. In 10 J league appearances this season Araki has already got 6 goals at a very impressive goal conversion rate of 33%. Despite averaging less than a shot on target per game with 0.8, Araki's attacking skill set puts him in fantastic positions to convert his chances. His anticipation got him 2 goa...

  Veljko Ilić- Next Hidden Gem coming out of the Balkans Date of birth: 21 July 2003 Country: Serbia Position: Goalkeeper Height: 195cm Preferred foot: Right A goalkeeper over 6ft is always a winner in the modern age and 6ft 3 Veljko Ilić ticks all the boxes. The big man was signed from big name club Crvena Zvezda's under 19 youth ranks and instantly became TSC Baka's number 1. The club have had a bit of a rise in recent years, being promoted to the Serbian Superliga for the first time in 2020 and have kept the pace, finishing in the top 3 the past 2 seasons. A bit part of that is their solid defence, conceding the second least amount of goals this season and with Ilić between the sticks it is easy to see why they conceded so few. Veljko started 32 games this season, keeping an incredible 16 clean sheets but surprisingly only making team of the week 1 time. What is impressive is his save rate, making 77% saves on 2.7 per game. He also has an excellent recovery rate, makin...