As expected, there was a flurry of transfer activity at the end of August as clubs desperately looked to reinforce their squads ahead of the European window slamming shut. Celtic were amongst the Scottish Premier League sides who left it late to complete their business, with Luke McCowan realising his ‘boyhood dream’ of signing for the Hoops from Dundee. The 26-year-old midfielder was joined by Arne Engels, who arrived from Augsburg in an £11m swoop. Adam Idah’s long protracted transfer from Norwich was completed earlier in the window.
As always, there were a handful of transfers which failed to materialise, including Liverpool’s Owen Beck, who landed at Blackburn, and Aaron Connolly, who remains a free agent and may still opt to join Brendan Rodgers’ side at some stage. One name who was heavily linked with a move to Glasgow was attacking midfielder Mateusz Bogusz. The Polish international has enjoyed a tremendous season at Los Angeles FC and looked set to make his international bow against Scotland at Hampden Park at the beginning of September, only for his flight to be delayed, causing him to miss his country’s first training session. Consequently, he wasn’t even named amongst the subs for the Nations League contest, however, he was given 62 minutes to impress in Poland’s 1-0 defeat to Croatia three days later.
Bogusz’s eye-catching performances in Major League Soccer have made him ripe for transfer speculation this summer, yet his current employers are understandably keen to retain his services. LAFC made the former Leeds man a poster boy for their recent fixture against the Seattle Sounders and with Steve Cherundolo’s men still firmly in contention for both the Supporter’s Shield and the MLS Cup, they were always unlikely to sanction a deal which would see one of their key contributors leave the BMO Stadium.
LAFC have one of the strongest squads in MLS and as a result, they tend to be amongst the bookies favourites whenever the outright odds get priced up at the beginning of the campaign. Despite being one of the newer franchises in Major League Soccer, they have already managed to secure the MLS Cup and have twice finished top of the Western Conference. Furthermore, they’ve enjoyed a couple of decent runs in the CONCACAF Champions League, finishing as runners-up last year after losing to Tigres.
Once again, they are fancied for success and have been widely tipped to challenge Inter Miami for the MLS Cup in December. Most major betting sites have positioned them as second favourites in the outright betting market behind the star-studded Herons, and if they can go deep into the playoffs this season, Matheusz Bogusz is likely to play a significant role in that success.
The midfielder is the club’s second-highest scorer so far this season, netting 13 times in his first 25 appearances as well as contributing five assists. His 13 strikes have come from an accumulative xG of 7.2, which suggests that he has largely created his own opportunities and isn’t afraid to try his luck from range. He’s taken 34 shots on target, the second-highest in the LAFC squad, averaging 1.45 per game. His goal-per-shot rate is 0.19, making him more prolific than any of his teammates, including top scorer Denis Bouanga.
As well as a regular goalscorer, Bogusz is adept at creating chances and has completed eight successful through-balls this season as well as a team-topping 93 crosses.
The player’s father has suggested that the 26-year-old is eyeing up a return to European football and with the current MLS season set to draw to a close at the beginning of December, a January switch would appear to make sense for all parties.
Players who have swapped Major League Soccer for the Scottish top flight have a mixed record, however, those who have gone in the opposite direction have generally thrived in the US. Patryk Klimala and Giorgos Giakoumakis have enjoyed successful stints stateside, whereas Ryan Gauld, via a lengthy spell in Portugal, has been a revelation for the Vancouver Whitecaps since arriving in British Columbia. Nevertheless, consistent Canadian right-back Alistair Johnston has bucked the trend by becoming a regular starter since swapping Montreal for Glasgow. He has been one of the standout performers of the 2024-25 campaign so far.
Celtic have made a terrific start to the season and their squad looks hungry and strong. Despite this, Rodgers may opt to freshen up the group following the hectic December schedule. Bogusz’s desire to return to Europe coupled with his previous links to the club are likely to put him firmly in the frame as a prime January transfer target for The Bhoys.
