With Scotland defender Kieran Tierney back at Celtic Park on a free transfer from Arsenal and Ross Doohan returning as back-up goalkeeper from Aberdeen, Nygren becomes Brendan Rodgers’ first proper new face of the summer.
It is no surprise that Celtic’s first outgoing fee since the opening of the transfer window has been paid for a player with Nygren’s qualities.
With Kyogo Furuhashi sold to Rennes near the end of the January window, fellow Japan forward Daizen Maeda had – at times – been pushed up front from his normal wide left role.
While Maeda proved to be a highly effective striker, outshining specialist Adam Idah, it left Celtic short of options on the wings, especially when Jota, who had returned in January from Rennes, was injured.
With the Portuguese ruled out until the end of the year and right winger Nicolas Kuhn – and, indeed, Maeda – reportedly attracting attention from clubs around Europe, another wide man with a goal threat was badly needed.
Not that Nygren should be seen as an out-and-out right winger.
Nygren’s style is not too disimilar to that of Vaclav Cerny, the Czech international who impressed on loan to Rangers from Wolfsburg last season, often drifting infield to fire for goal with his favoured left foot.
Indeed, IFK sporting director Mats Gren was quoted in a recent interview as saying that he is best as a number 10.
His first two goals against Fenerbahce, for example, came after picking the ball up centrally and dribbling into the penalty box.
Meanwhile, his third against the Turks and his first for Sweden – as he earned his second cap in a 5-1 thumping of Northern Ireland in March – were poacher tap-ins inside the six-yard box and he has since added a curled finish against Hungary.
No wonder Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has described Nygren as an “exciting” player who will be a crowd pleaser.
Compared to Kuhn, the German has more dribbles and creates more chances for others, but while their statistics are broadly similar, the Swede is ahead in attempts on goal, goals per game and, given his greater height, aerial duels won.
Perhaps, like Larsson, Nygren will arrive as a cut-price winger, external and leave a legendary goalscorer.
