Exclusive: Norwegian Football Expert On Kasper Hogh’s Strengths As He Warns of One Area

Kasper Hogh arrives at Celtic with a growing reputation, an £11 million price tag that could rise with add-ons, and the expectation that he will lead the line for the Scottish champions.

The 25-year-old has signed a four-year deal, with Celtic holding the option of an additional year, and supporters are eager to see what the club’s record signing brings to Martin O’Neill’s attack.

Celtic have had strikers with very different qualities in recent years. For example, Kyogo Furuhashi thrived on movement, stretching defences and appearing at the back post, while also producing moments of quality from outside the box.

According to Norwegian football expert Lars Røys (@LarsMagnusRoys on X), Hogh shares that instinct for arriving in the right areas, but there is much more to his game than simply finishing chances from close range.

Speaking exclusively to CeltsAreHere, Lars believes Hogh is capable of creating opportunities for himself rather than relying on one particular type of service.

“He can do stuff on his own. But as with any striker, even Erling Haaland obviously needs some service to score some goals; all number nines naturally do.

“I wouldn’t say he’s necessarily totally reliant on perfect crosses, because you see with Bodø/Glimt, they play some through balls, there are crosses from wide, there’s all sorts of routes leading to Kasper. It’s not like a typical Kasper Hogh kind of goal, if that makes sense. It’s not like a Ruud van Nistelrooy tap-in, so to say.

“It’s like he scores from different types of goals. Obviously, mostly within the 18-yard area.”

That versatility could prove valuable for O’Neill. Celtic create chances in a variety of ways, whether through intricate passing around the box, quick transitions or deliveries from wide areas. Having a striker who can adapt to different situations rather than depending on one type of chance gives the attack another dimension.

Lars, who works for established Norwegian network TV2, did point to one area where Hogh is less convincing.

The striker made his senior Denmark debut in March and scored on his second appearance against Czechia to take the tie to penalties. Despite forcing the tie to a shootout, he was not among Denmark’s chosen penalty takers.

“With penalties, that’s maybe one of his weaker areas,” Lars said.

“So there might be a reason he didn’t take a penalty in the Denmark penalty shootout. But yeah, he scored a few for Bodø. If you’re playing fantasy football and want Kasper in your team for penalties, I don’t think he’s going to take them!”

It is a small blemish in a profile that otherwise offers plenty of encouragement.

One attribute that should immediately stand out to Celtic supporters is his presence in the air, something the side has lacked up top for a while.

“He can mix it up. He’s a very big threat in the air as well.

“Now he’s a good physical, typical number nine, sort of striker, so I think Celtic fans should be excited, right? Like, record signing, he’s done huge performances in the Champions League and Europa League, so, yeah, no, I think Celtic fans should be very excited.”

Hogh has already been settling into life at Lennoxtown and building relationships with his new teammates ahead of Monday night’s Premiership opener against Dundee.

With the league flag set to be unfurled before kick-off, there could hardly be a better time for his first taste of a home match. Supporters have waited to see what the club’s new focal point can offer, and if Lars’ assessment proves accurate, they can expect a striker capable of scoring in different ways, dominating in the air and giving defenders a very different challenge to the forwards who have led the line in recent years.