Celtic are in Champions League action this evening as they prepare to welcome Kairat Almaty to Parkhead for the first leg of their play-off clash.

The Hoops have already won their first three competitive matches of the campaign, beating Aberdeen and St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership and Falkirk in the League Cup.

Irrespective of those results and whatever happens in the match this evening, Brendan Rodgers will want more recruits in the building to bolster the squad before the end of the summer transfer window.

It is fairly obvious that the Scottish giants are short in the wide areas. They have lost Jota to a long-term ACL injury and sold Nicolas Kuhn to Como, yet they have yet to bring in a winger.

At this moment in time, Daizen Maeda is the only natural left winger in the squad, and James Forrest and Hyun-jun Yang are the only right wingers in the group. This highlights the need for reinforcements in those positions.

There should also be a concern over the quality of the options in the wide areas as it stands, as neither of Celtic's right wingers have shown that they can deliver consistently.

Why Celtic need a new right winger

In the 2024/25 campaign, Kuhn racked up an eye-catching haul of 21 goals and 15 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops on the right flank, per Transfermarkt.

The German forward provided a consistent threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals, cutting in from the right to cause havoc on his favoured left foot week-in-week-out.

Unfortunately, Forrest and Yang do not look very likely to replicate that level of output at the top end of the pitch for the Premiership champions, when you consider their performances last season and in the first few games of the current campaign.

Neither player has registered a goal or an assist in the opening three games of this season in all competitions, and they will be hoping to change that in this evening's Champions League match.

They also both struggled to deliver consistent performances in the final third in the 2024/25 Premiership campaign, as it took Forrest until the final moments of the last league game of the season against St Mirren to grab his only goal.

As you can see in the table above, Yang and Forrest combined for six goals and seven assists in 46 appearances between them in the top-flight, which is far from an impressive return in comparison to what Kuhn produced.

This is why Celtic need to bring in a player who can offer more quality in that position this season, and they are reportedly keen on a star who would fit the bill.

Celtic have interest in Eredivisie forward

According to Voetbal Zone, Celtic have a 'serious' interest in Feyenoord's right-sided attacker Calvin Stengs, as they look to bolster their options out wide.

The report claims, though, that they have yet to make an approach to the Eredivisie side to discuss a potential transfer fee for the Netherlands international.

It adds that there are doubts over his injury history, after he missed 35 games through injury last season, per Transfermarkt, and that it remains to be seen how much money it will take to convince Feyenoord to cash in on him.

MLS side Charlotte FC, home to former Hoops star Liel Abada, were reportedly set to sign Stengs for a fee of £6.4m last summer before the player turned them down, which offers an insight into the kind of fee it could take.

It was recently reported that Celtic have made contact with the Feyenoord star's representatives to speak about a possible move, and this latest report from the Netherlands shows that they are serious about bringing the player to Glasgow before the end of the window.

Why Celtic should sign Calvin Stengs

The Hoops should now be pushing to reach an agreement with Feyenoord to land the left-footed star because he could arrive as the big upgrade on Yang that Rodgers needs for the 2025/26 campaign.

As aforementioned, the South Korea international has yet to prove that he can deliver consistent quality in the final third, which is why he may not be suited to starting week-in-week-out for the Hoops. Forrest, meanwhile, should be expected to be a back-up option at the age of 34, as he is now in the latter stages of his career.

Stengs, meanwhile, has previously shown that he has what it takes to be a big threat at the top end of the pitch from a right wing position, although he missed most of last season through injury.

In the 2023/24 campaign, the Dutch magician showed what he is about with a return of eight goals and 17 assists in 43 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

As you can see in the table above, Stengs was an incredibly creative star for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie that term, whilst also finishing the chances that came his way efficiently.

Meanwhile, Yang has only created nine 'big chances' and assisted six goals in 58 appearances in the Premiership and the Champions League combined in the last two seasons, per Sofascore, which suggests that Celtic would significantly improve the creativity in their side with this potential transfer.

Stengs, who was described as a "flamboyant" winger by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has shown that he can provide consistent quality in front of goal when fit, which is why he could be an excellent addition to the team.

Of course, his aforementioned injury issues are a concern. However, if Celtic believe that he has overcome those problems and will be available most weeks, the 26-year-old star would arrive as a big upgrade on Yang from a quality perspective.

This is why the Premiership giants should be pushing to get a deal done for Stengs, who scored against Celtic in 2023, because he has the potential to solve their problem on the right flank.