Celtic have a big decision to make on Tomas Cvancara in the summer transfer window because they have an option to make his loan move permanent.
The Hoops signed the Czechia international on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach until the end of the season during the January transfer window.
However, they do have the option to sign him on a permanent basis for a fee of £7m, which would make him their most expensive signing since they paid £8m for Jota in January 2025.
Cvancara has scored two goals, one of which came from the penalty spot, in seven appearances in the Scottish Premiership for the Hoops since his move on loan to Parkhead.
The 25-year-old centre-forward has only scored two goals from an xG of 3.14 in the top-flight, missing three ‘big chances’, and is yet to prove himself to be a reliable goalscorer for the club.
Celtic identify 15-goal striker as potential summer target
Cvancara looked like a risky signing on paper for Celtic in the winter window because he joined off the back of underwhelming form in front of goal in recent seasons.
The Hoops loanee scored one goal in 11 Super Lig games during the first half of the campaign and only scored two goals in 30 games in all competitions for Monchengladbach in the 2024/25 campaign.
In fact, the Czechia forward has never scored more than 12 goals in all competitions in a single season in his career, which is another reason why paying £7m to sign him permanently would be a risky move.
According to Football Transfers, though, Celtic are looking at other centre-forward options from other clubs to come in and lead the line for the manager who replaces Martin O’Neill in the summer.
The report claims that Lorent Tolaj and Tyrese Campbell are two of the players who have been looked at by the board in their pursuit of a new number nine.
Football Transfers also reveals that the Hoops have earmarked Plymouth Argyle centre-forward Bim Pepple as a possible target for the upcoming summer transfer window.
It states that Junior Adamu and Cvancara have not impressed since signing on initial loan deals and that the club are looking at alternatives to them ahead of the summer, with the League One marksman emerging as one of their options.
Why Pepple would be a Cvancara upgrade for Celtic
The Canada international would be an interesting signing for the Scottish giants because he has the potential to arrive as a big upgrade on Cvancara at Parkhead.
Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, the Celtic loanee has scored 11 goals in 74 appearances in all competitions, which shows that he has failed to deliver goals on a regular basis for almost three full seasons.
Pepple, meanwhile, has scored 29 goals in 100 appearances in all competitions over the past three seasons, and has scored 15 goals in all competitions for Plymouth this season.
That means that the Canadian star has scored more goals this term than Cvancara has managed in almost three full campaigns, which means that he would arrive in Glasgow full of confidence and ready to perform.
Pepple has scored 13 goals in League One for Plymouth this season, more goals than Cvancara has ever managed in a single league campaign, and more than any other Celtic striker has scored in the Premiership this term.
|
25/26 League One |
Pepple |
Rank vs STs |
|---|---|---|
|
xG |
10.50 |
Top 14% |
|
xG on target |
10.01 |
Top 20% |
|
Shots on target |
24 |
Top 23% |
|
Shots |
62 |
Top 21% |
|
Goals |
13 |
Top 14% |
The 23-year-old marksman has also scored 12 non-penalty goals, which means that he is not reliant on spot kicks to get on the scoresheet, and has provided his teammates with two assists.
Not only has he scored way more goals than Cvancara in the 2025/26 campaign, but he has also been far more efficient with his xG to goals ratio, scoring 2.5 more than expected.
On top of his impressive goal output of 13 goals in 19 starts, Pepple also ranks in the top 15% of League One strikers for dribbles completed (23) and the top 14% for dribble success rate (51%).
Cvancara, meanwhile, has not completed a single dribble in seven appearances for Celtic in the Premiership, which suggests that the Plymouth star would offer more dynamism in possession and in transition.
Therefore, signing Pepple instead of paying £7m to sign the Czechia international on a permanent deal could be the best way to go for the Hoops, because he would be a big upgrade on the loan forward if he can translate his current performance level to the Premiership.
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