Celtic ensured that they will be lifting the Scottish Premiership title for a third year in a row with a thumping 5-0 win over Kilmarnock on Wednesday night.
The Scottish giants fought off competition from their closest rivals to win the division and, after their final league game of the campaign on Saturday, they will then have the SFA Cup final to focus on.
Following the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Brendan Rodgers and his team will turn their attention to the upcoming summer transfer window and how they can make changes to the squad to improve their performance next term.
The Hoops were knocked out of the League Cup and the Champions League during the first half of the season and may want to fare better than an early exit from Europe next time around.
It will be interesting to see who Celtic decide to go ahead and pursue to bolster their squad in the summer. One player they must push to sign if possible is a forward from the English Championship.
Celtic's interest in Championship star
Earlier this year, it was reported by Football Insider that the Hoops are interested in a possible swoop to sign Blackburn Rovers attacker Sammie Szmodics.
They are not the only team in the running to land his signature, though, as the outlet claimed that Premier League side Brentford are also set to be in the mix to sign the Republic of Ireland international ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Football Insider went on to reveal that other teams from the bottom half of the Premier League could also join Celtic and the Bees in the pursuit of the former Colchester star, which suggests that there could be a big battle for his services.
However, the same source then provided an update at the start of April that made it seem unlikely that the Scottish giants will be able to get a deal over the line, as the English teams are said to have the advantage over them given what they can offer as a fee and wages.
That second report did, though, claim that Blackburn may not be able to keep hold of the attacking midfielder amid strong interest from elsewhere, which suggests that there may be an opening to exploit this summer.
Should the Irish sensation become available as an option for the Hoops to bring in, Rodgers could finally reignite Luis Palma by snapping him up ahead of next season.
Luis Palma's inconsistent season
The Bhoys reportedly splashed out a fee of £3.5m to sign the Honduras international from Greek side Aris FC during last summer's transfer window.
He started the season in fantastic form at the top end of the pitch, with a return of five goals and nine assists in 16 appearances in the Premiership in 2023.
14 direct goal involvements in 16 matches in the league shows that the attacker was contributing on a regular basis as both a scorer and a creator for Rodgers.
The exciting winger hit the ground running in Glasgow and looked set to be a terrific signing for the Northern Irish manager. However, there is a stark contrast between his form over the last five months and the first half of the season.
Since the turn of the year, Palma has only produced two goals and one assist in 14 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants.
11 of those games came in the Premiership and he chipped in with one goal and zero assists for the side in that time.
This shows that his form has dropped off a cliff during the second half of the campaign and Celtic must find a way for him to hit his best levels again next season.
Appearances
27
Starts
17
Goals
6
Assists
9
Big chances created
13
Key passes per game
2.4
As you can see in the table above, Palma is a creative talent who has the quality to provide his teammates with high-quality opportunities in front of goal.
Therefore, Rodgers could, potentially, finally reignite the forward, after months of poor form, by signing a player – Szmodics – who could make the most of his creativity on the flank.
How Sammie Szmodics could reignite Luis Palma
Firstly, it is worth noting that Celtic's first-choice centre-forward for the majority of this season has underperformed in front of goal, given the quality of chances that have been created for them.
Kyogo Furuhashi has scored 13 goals from 17.49 xG in the Scottish Premiership, which is an underperformance of 4.49 – the highest of any player in the Hoops squad.
The 29-year-old attacker, who has averaged one goal every 187 minutes, has missed a staggering 23 'big chances' in the final third, to go along with his 13 goals in 33 matches.
This means that the forward was not able to make the most of Palma's creativity, which is illustrated by the winger's nine assists from 13 'big chances' created.
Szmodics, who journalist Josh Bunting claimed is "dangerous", rattled in an astonishing 27 goals from 21.41 xG for Blackburn in the Championship this season, which is an overperformance of 5.69.
The 28-year-old star scored a staggering 33 goals in all competitions for the English outfit, with six goals in three FA Cup matches alongside his 27 league strikes.
He only missed 17 'big chances' in 44 Championship appearances for Blackburn and ranked within the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.62).
These statistics suggest that Szmodics would be a far better option than Kyogo in the final third, due to his sensational finishing quality.
The Ireland international is a clinical and prolific forward who has proven that he has the ability to find the back of the net at an exceptional rate.
Alongside O'Riley: 9/10 star just helped secure the title for Celtic
The Hoops star justified his selection with a terrific performance at the top end of the pitch.
ByDan Emery
Therefore, Rodgers could reignite Palma by bringing Szmodics into the club to provide the winger with a lethal attacker, who can make the most of the 'big chances' that he has proven he can create consistently.
It is now down to the club to battle it out to win the race for the Blackburn star ahead of rival interest from English sides in order to bolster his attack with a terrific new signing.