Celtic officially completed a deal to bring Brendan Rodgers back to Parkhead for a second spell in the dugout last month to replace Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian head coach opted to move south of the border and majority shareholder Dermot Desmond wasted little time in snapping up the Northern Irishman to take his place.
Hopefully, the 50-year-old boss will be able to build on the immense success he enjoyed during his first stint in Glasgow. He won seven domestic trophies in less than three seasons before his move to Leicester City in 2019.
The ex-Liverpool manager worked with some terrific talents during his time with the Foxes; including the likes of James Maddison, Wesley Fofana, Harvey Barnes, and Jamie Vardy.
Rodgers could now find his next version of Fofana at Celtic by securing reported Hoops transfer target Xavier Mbuyamba before the deadline.
Who is Xavier Mbuyamba?
The 21-year-old central defender currently plays for FC Volendam in the Eredivisie and could arrive at Parkhead as a future star who could also make an immediate impact on the pitch.
Mbuyamba averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.99 across 28 top-flight appearances last season and made an outstanding 2.3 tackles per game, 0.9 more than any Hoops centre-back managed during the Scottish Premiership campaign.
The 6 foot 5 colossus also made 5.4 clearances per outing – 1.2 more than any Celtic player – while the young talent was able to hold his own in physical battles with a duel success rate of 53%.
These statistics suggest that the towering Dutchman has the potential to be an excellent addition to the squad, whilst having the potential to improve in the future.
Such numbers outline him as a player who could well be Rodgers' next Fofana.
The former Swansea head coach signed the French ace from Saint-Etienne at the age of 19 in the summer of 2020. Upon the defender's arrival at the King Power, the Northern Irishman claimed that he was "excited about developing his talent".
The impressive centre-back played two seasons with Leicester before he sealed a mega £70m switch to Chelsea during the summer of 2022, which was a £33.5m profit on the initial £36.5m they spent on him – indicating that the manager was able to develop the right-footed enforcer during their short time together.
Fofana averaged a Sofascore rating of seven over 28 Premier League appearances during his debut Premier League campaign with the Foxes. The now-22-year-old showcased his defensive strength and awareness as he won 58% of his duels to go along with 1.8 tackles per game for his side.
His form in the English top flight was not a million miles away from the level of performance that Mbuyamba showed for Volendam last term. The Dutchman is another centre-back who has displayed impressive consistency in a big European league at a young age.
Therefore, the 21-year-old titan, who was described as "elegant" and "dominant" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, could be Fofana 2.0 for Rodgers.
Indeed, he possess the potential and talent to be a central defender who comes in and develops over time before being sold for a huge profit in the future.
