Celtic have had a mixed start to the 2023/24 campaign after they decided to bring Brendan Rodgers back to Glasgow after Ange Postecoglou's departure over the summer.
The Hoops were hit with a blow as their former manager opted to part ways with the club in order to join Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur at the end of last season.
Postecoglou secured the domestic treble last season and that achievement is already out of the question for the Scottish giants this time around as the Bhoys lost 1-0 to Kilmarnock in the League Cup.
Celtic are also bottom of their Champions League group with zero wins and three defeats in their opening four matches – competing against Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, and Lazio.
They are, however, top of the Scottish Premiership and are yet to lose a game in the league, with a record of 11 wins and two draws in 13 outings.
Rodgers added nine new signings to his squad over the summer as Hyeok-kyu Kwon, Odin Thiago Holm, Marco Tilio, Hyun-jun Yang, Nat Phillips, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki, Paulo Bernardo, and Luis Palma were all brought in to bolster the side.
The upcoming January transfer window will provide the Northern Irish head coach with an opportunity to make more additions, and the Hoops have been touted with an interest in a Premiership midfielder.
Celtic transfer news – Lennon Miller
According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, the Scottish giants are one of a number of teams eyeing up a possible swoop to sign Motherwell starlet Lennon Miller.
The outlet named both Celtic and Rangers among the group of clubs keeping tabs on the teenage talent's development, as they track his progress ahead of a potential move for him further down the line.
However, they are not alone in their interest as the Scottish gem has a host of Premier League outfits looking at his performances this season.
It is stated that Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford, Aston Villa, West Ham United, and Brighton & Hove Albion have also been sending scouts to watch him on a regular basis this term.
There is no mention of how much it would cost to secure te 17-year-old prospect's services or whether or not Motherwell are even prepared to entertain any offers for him during the upcoming January transfer window.
If there is a deal to be had, though, it could be a difficult one for Celtic to complete if they face competition from multiple Premier League sides, who can offer football in a major European league, whilst the Hoops may not have any European football to offer if they finish bottom of their Champions League group and crash out of Europe entirely.
However, Rodgers could secure his next version of his former Leicester City defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi if he is able to win the race for the Motherwell star's signature.
Celtic were touted with an interest in the Nigeria international after the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League but a move did not materialise, after the Northern Irish tactician worked with him in England for a number of years.
Ndidi's form for Leicester under Rodgers
The towering ace made 138 appearances across five seasons for Rodgers during their time together at Leicester, as he excellently anchored the midfield throughout that spell.
Ndidi proved himself to be a superb defensive midfielder who is able to consistently cut out opposition attacks in order to stop his own goalkeeper from being troubled, whilst also being able to create more chances for his own side to make things happen at the right end of the pitch.
In their last full season together, which was during the 2021/22 campaign, the 26-year-old titan made 5.4 tackles and interceptions per game across 19 Premier League matches. He won 54% of his duels that term and was dribbled past 1.7 times per match by his opponents.
Ndidi followed that up with 3.7 tackles and interceptions per outing for Leicester last season, along with a duel success rate of 55% and only being dribbled past once per clash on average, across 27 league games.
The right-footed dynamo ranked within at least the top 6% of his positional peers at Premier League level last term for tackles, interceptions, and clearances respectively per 90, which illustrates how impressive his defending was a midfielder.
These statistics show that Rodgers had a terrific defensive presence in the middle of the park at the King Power and Miller could come in to provide a similar set of skills if Celtic are able to snap him up at the start of 2024, or during the summer transfer window at the end of the season.
Lennon Miller's season in numbers
The 17-year-old talent, who was once hailed as "fantastic" by manager Steven Hammell, has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign with Motherwell.
In spite of his age and lack of experience, Miller has established himself as a dominant force in midfield for his club and is now a regular starter.
The teenage whiz has started nine of his side's Premiership outings so far this season after four appearances and one start in the Scottish top-flight last term.
His defensive qualities have been on full display as the Hoops target has made an eye-catching 3.6 tackles and interceptions along with 7.7 ball recoveries per game. He has also only been dribbled past once per match on average, which shows that the young gem is stopping opposition players far more often than they are getting the better of him.
Tackles per game
1.6
1.1
0.9
Interceptions per game
0.9
0.7
0.4
Duel success rate
54%
53%
51%
Miller, at the age of just 17, has won an outstanding 71% of his duels – including 79% of his aerial battles – in the league this season, which shows that he is already physically prepared to compete at first-team level.
The Motherwell battler, who does not turn 18 until next season, has also produced one goal and one assist in five League Cup appearances this term.
Looking at his statistics during the 2023/24 campaign, the impressive teenager could be Rodgers' next Ndidi as he has the physicality and the defensive awareness to consistently cut out and stop opposition attacks to help his side at both ends of the pitch, just as the Nigerian gem did for him at Leicester.