Celtic star “so underestimated” could be Rogers’ next Ryan Christie

Kyogo Furuhashi became the latest star for sale by the Celtic when he added Ligue 1 goal to the Ligue 1 side in the January transfer window.

The basketball team signed Japan International from Vissel Kobe in the summer of 2021 under Ange Postecoglou, with reported £4.6 million and enjoyed nearly four years of shooting talent.

Kyoto scored 85 goals in 165 matches in all matches, winning the Scottish Premier League title throughout his season at Parkhead.

Rennes signed him for £10m in January, representing the Scottish giant’s £5.4m, indicating that the club played a blind role in bringing him to Glasgow in 2021.

However, the Celtics are not always right when they deliver on their highest talent. An example of a player who may be underweight by the basketball court is attacking midfielder Ryan Christie.

Ryan Christie’s Records on Celtics

In the same summer, Kyoto moved to heaven for £4.6 million and Bournemouth moved to Christie, reportedly at £2.5 million.

This is after the Scottish International proved himself a reliable offensive midfielder who scored 42 goals and 44 assists in all the Celtics’ first team in Parkhead in all matches, scoring and assisting with goals.

The left-footed star won five free throws for basketball and was used in multiple positions throughout the club, mainly an offensive midfielder, a winger, a midfielder, and a deep or defensive midfielder.

Under Brendan Rodgers, he became a regular break in the Celtics’ senior team at the start of the 2018/19 season, but the Northern Irish left Leicester City that season before having the chance to see Christie flourish.

It was his performance in the 2019/20 campaign that did attract attention, though, as the Scottish Masters scored an astonishing 21 goals and 16 assists in 45 games in all competitions.

Christie proves himself a midfielder or offensive midfielder, whether as a scorer or a target creator, he can regularly provide quality at the top of the court.

Ryan Christie’s incredible form on 2024/25

At the time of writing (20/03/2025), Transfermarkt is worth up to £10 million for the midfielder of Bournemouth, meaning his value has soared since basketball cashed in at £2.5 million.

Christie reshaped herself as a deep playmaker during her time in England’s Cherries, mostly as a midfielder or defensive midfielder rather than ranked 10th in trade.

The Bournemouth star has won 3.0 tackles and interceptions in the Premier League this season and created with five “big opportunities” which shows that he has added a defensive advantage in the game and has regularly won possession from the opposition.

As you can see in the picture above, Christie has performed well this season, ranking high among his positional companions this season as he progresses and creates opportunities for his teammates from deep midfield roles.

He has developed into a full-scale midfielder who can help his team and teams in the game, with his creative talents on the ball, tackles and interceptions to break the game.

Rodgers unleashed him as a regular starter for the Celtics in his 2018/19 campaign, while Northern Ireland bosses can now discover his next version of Christie in Arne Engels.

Celtic’s new Ryan Christie in 2025

Like the Scotland international, the Belgian Master is a versatile star who can play in the middle or attack midfield, on the right or as a deep midfielder – like he did last weekend when he beat the Rangers in the Scottish Premier League.

Engels is also a player who can rely on from free throw locations like Christie did, as he found a net rebounding back from 12 yards in all games this season.

The 21-year-old star is considered the main free thrower for the Scottish Giants, although in the first half of the season the likes of Zen Maeda (like Kyogo) and Adam Idah were at the club, which illustrates the ability to believe in Faith Rodgers.

Engels also received 12 assists, achieving his ten goals in all games this semester, suggesting that the midfield star can provide quality as a scorer at the central midfield position and a creator of goals – as Christie did during Parkhead.

Christie moved to Bournemouth to develop the defensive aspects of the game, and the Celtics star has shown that he can offer quality inside and without.

As you can see in the table above, Engels offers a lot of defensive qualities in the Champions League basketball sport, with his ability to make tackles and undermine opposition attacks.

The 21-year-old star was described as “so undervalued” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, who is a comprehensive midfielder who can achieve this regularly in the last third while also providing strength and reliability from the ball.

However, Engels’ next step is to improve his output in the last third to the level he achieved in the 2019/20 campaign so that he can be targeted and assisted as a main character.

His table for the Scottish Giants this season shows that he has all the attributes needed for the new version of Scotland International, and now he can put them all together.