Kuhn, Nicolas – The Celtic Wiki

Personal

Fullname: Nicolas-Gerrit Kühn
aka: Nicolas Kuhn, Nicolas Kühn, Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn, Nicolas Kuehn, Nick Kuhn, Nic Kuhn
Born: 1 January 2000
Birthplace: Wunstorf, Germany
Signed: 16 January 2024 (est €3.5m/€3m + addons from Rapid Vienna)
Left: –
Position: Midfielder, Winger
Debut: Celtic 1-0 Ross County, SP, 27 Jan 2024
Squad No.: 10
Internationals: […]
International Caps: [TBC at end of career]
International Goals: [TBC at end of career]

Biog

Young German player Nicolas Kuhn arrived at Celtic in January 2024, at the midway point of Rodgers return season as manager. Celtic were seen as shakey & vulnerable despite being top of the table at the half way mark in this season, but new quality was needed.

Nicolas Kuhn was initially seen as an ideal transfer in for development, a young player with lots of ability who had proven himself at youth levels, but had struggled to make a name for himself in the senior ranks. Not easy when his first stints were at RB Leipzig, Ajax and Bayern Munich. However, at Rapid Vienna, there were concerns on his ability, with one acerbic commentator deeming him as having “terrible shooting” and being “injury prone“. The truth is that on paper, Celtic had paid a heavy premium for a player who to date had achieved little. So much to prove even to himself, however the Rapid CEO Steffen Hofman was the exception who opined:

“Celtic should enjoy him for as long as they have him. I am sure there will be suitors and clubs interested in his services from England lining up soon enough. He will leave Celtic, trust me on that.”

Despite the initial concerns he got off to a decent start, and you could see his confidence increasing as he won more gametime. He scored his debut goal v St Johnstone in a 3-1 win (March 2024), but it was his sublime assist pass for the opener in the previous match v Livingston (4-2 win in March 2024) that won him the confidence of the support.

As Celtic went on to win the League & Scottish Cup double, he had played his part, but the general consensus was that he needed to ascertain himself more to prove himself further. When Rodgers stated that the aged James Forrest was proving to be the best winger at the club, it wasn’t a vote of confidence in players like Kuhn and Palma, but at least it was to give him the kick he needed. Partly the issue was that he had arrived not fully fit due to illness which led to a loss of around a stone in weight (~6kg). A good summer recovery and reset was needed.

Season 2024/25

‘My Celtic career starts now!’
Kuhn (July 2024)

–

Quotes

“A player who loves nothing more than to have the ball at his feet and dribble at his opponents, Kühn resembles a Coman type of player. With a high level of confidence, Kühn is not afraid to take risks by seeking one-on-ones and taking on his opponents, using his pace and excellent close control to deadly effect. Kühn is also a rather rare commodity in being left-footed, but he is equally at home on the left or the right, or even behind the strikers as a support man.”
Bundesliga website (prior to Kuhn’s time at Celtic)

“To lose over a stone, I think he found that he’d lost his strength and his running capacity. Nicolas is just starting to settle in. You see he was a little more positive, in the first half in particular, and he did well.”
Brendan Rodger (March 2024)

“I’m maybe not 100 per cent just yet but it’s getting better,”
Nicolas Kühn (Apr 2024)

“You had to be there to understand it, it ended 3-3 & afterwards they celebrated as if they were already champions. After that, we dominated the league.”
Kuhn on Sevco (June 2024)

‘My Celtic career starts now!’
Kuhn (July 2024)

“When I joined Celtic, I wanted to play in the Champions League. After that, my ambition is the national team.”
Kuhn (Aug 2024)

“[RB Leipzig] were embarrassed by a German no-name professional – who, of all people, was trained in RB’s youth team!… After his Champions League gala, Kuhn can even dream of playing for the national team…. He is no stranger to the DFB! He played for all the junior national teams from the U15 to the U20 until his career stalled. Now Kuhn is starting anew.”
Bild, Germany’s largest newspaper, in reference to Kuhn in the 3-1 win v Leipzig in Champions League (Nov 2024)
Note: Some say this was a little lost in translation however, the newspaper did print it as a headline in English too. In German some opine it really reads as being a play on the idea of it’s “denglisch” which is used a lot nowadays and basically means he’s someone German fans are not familiar with (even though he’s German). You can read into it as you please.

[…..]

Playing Career

[Table to indicate clubs played for, including dates, transfers and fees where known [e.g. soccerbase table]]

APPEARANCES (subs)	LEAGUE	SCOTTISH CUP	LEAGUE CUP	EUROPE	TOTAL
2023-24
Goals
2024-25
Goals
2025-26
Goals
2026-27
Goals
2027-28
Goals
Total
Goals

Honours with Celtic

(Honours are marked below in which the player has played in at least one of the matches in the campaign.)

Scottish League

[…]

Scottish Cup

[…]

Scottish League Cup

[…]

Pictures

Player Pics

Forums

First Thread (started Jan 2024)

Articles

Links

Notes

Articles

Incoming Celtic winger Kuhn branded ‘terrible at shooting and injury prone’

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/incoming-celtic-winger-kuhn-branded-202157164.html

David Irvine
Mon, 15 January 2024 at 8:21 pm GMT·3-min read
In this article:

Nicolas Kuhn has been slaughtered for ‘terrible shooting’ and being ‘injury prone’ ahead of his transfer switch to Celtic.

The winger, 24, is expected to complete a move to Parkhead from Rapid Vienna for a fee in the region of £3m.

But Kuhn – set to become Brendan Rodgers’ first January transfer window addition – has received a brutal review from an Austrian football expert before his move has even been announced.

Dorian Schuster, from transfermarkt, explained that Kuhn is a “kind of special player” as he highlighted his immense dribbling ability – but then hammered other aspects of his game.

Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, Schuster claimed Kuhn “wastes many chances” and is “injury-prone” as he discussed the expected arrival of the former Germany youth international.

“They will get a kind of special player, in the sense that he has fantastic dribbling skills that I would say are far too good for the Austrian Bundesliga,” said Schuster.

“However, on the other hand his shooting is – I have to say, honestly – sometimes terrible and he wastes many chances in the Austrian Bundesliga and therefore I think that could be a major issue when playing in the Champions League for Celtic.

“I don’t know if you already knew that but in 2019 he was crowned as the biggest German talent of his year, born in 2000, Kai Havertz won in 2018. But he [Kuhn] never managed to break through.

“He played in the second league in Germany and also his first season in Vienna was quite a mess – he was quite often very injured and he never reached the highest level of his skills or fitness.”

READ MORE: Celtic approached by Serie B side Como for Rocco Vata

On Kuhn’s career to date – which includes time at Ajax and Bayern Munich – Schuster added: “I wouldn’t see it as a step backwards because he never reached the first team at Ajax or Bayern Munich so he was loaned to a second-tier side in Germany and afterwards he tried Rapid Vienna.

“But it hasn’t been enough with his shooting skills in combination with being injury-prone so I think Rapid Vienna has been the right step, now we will see if Celtic is – I honestly don’t know if it will work out in the Scottish league.

“He is a fast player but as I mentioned injury prone and I don’t know if he will have fun with Scottish defenders.”

Quizzed on whether Kuhn’s move to Celtic has taken supporters and pundits in Austria by surprise, Schuster replied: “Yeah. Kind of. He hasn’t had his breakthrough at Rapid, he has been good this season.

“His last season wasn’t that good and now all of a sudden they want to sell him for €3.5m.

“We at Transfermarkt valued him at €1.5m so there is a slight difference.

“Sometimes he was used as an attacking midfielder but it didn’t really work out so is now only used on a right winger, his left foot is good as well.

“Cutting in on the left foot and his right is also good – there’s no worries about that.”

Nicolas Kuhn signs for Celtic – contract details, what player said, Brendan Rodgers highlights key attributes

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/nicolas-kuhn-signs-for-celtic-contract-details-what-player-said-brendan-rodgers-highlights-key-attributes-4481064
German winger completes move from Rapid Vienna to become Celtic’s first January signing
Matthew Elder
By Matthew Elder
Published 16th Jan 2024, 21:42 GMT

Celtic have completed the signing of Nicolas Kuhn from Rapid Vienna for a fee reported to be in the region of £3m.

The German winger has been announced as the club’s first recruit of the January transfer window on a five-and-a-half year contract until the summer of 2029 and could make his debut against Buckie Thistle in the Scottish Cup on Saturday.

The 24-year-old, who can play on both right and left wings, has been capped by Germany up to Under-20 level and spent his earlier years at RB Leipzig, Ajax and Bayern Munich, playing for the youth and reserves sides.

He moved to Rapid Vienna in 2022 and has made 36 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga, sccoring five goals and registering six assists.

Kuhn told the Celtic website: “I feel great that I’m finally here and I can’t wait. Celtic is one of the biggest clubs around and I’m really happy to be here.

“I am really motivated to do well for this great club and I want to get working immediately as we face our challenges in the League and the Cup this year, so I’m really excited for what’s coming.

“In the end, at Celtic, it’s about doing all we can to win every game, so that is the challenge here. I can’t wait to get going and do my very best for our supporters.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers added: “We are delighted to welcome Nicolas to Celtic. We believe he is a dynamic player who has an excellent level of quality and all the attributes to fit well into our style of play.

“He has the profile we are looking for, he has a real attacking intent, a player with great pace and ideas, the ability to create and score goals and a player with a great energy and work ethic.

“He is someone who can play wide on both sides so he brings with him that versatility for us too, and myself and the coaches here really look forward to working with him.”

Nicolas Kuhn lifts lid on Celtic goal celebration dance routine and his ‘difficult’ time after January arrival

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/nicolas-kuhn-lifts-lid-on-celtic-goal-celebration-dance-routine-and-his-difficult-time-after-january-arrival-4730486
Matthew Elder
By Matthew Elder
Published 5th Aug 2024, 22:36 BST

Celtic trio share a moment after Kuhn strike
Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn has explained the story behind the three-man goal celebration that followed his first strike of the season in the opening day 4-0 win over Kilmarnock.

The German scored Celtic’s third of the afternoon on the 59-minute mark after cutting inside from the right and firing a left-foot shot that took a wicked deflection before looping over Killie goalkeeper Robby McCrorie into the net.

Reo Hatate and Liam Scales had given Celtic a 2-0 half-time lead and Anthony Ralston completed the scoring with a fourth in added time but it was the dance routine that followed Kuhn’s strike that was the talk of the media room afterwards.

Immediately after scoring, the 24-year-old was quickly joined by Matt O’Riley and Kyogo Furuhashi as the trio began shaking their arms and girating their hips in unison. Kuhn revealed afterwards that it was all pre-planned by his Japanese team-mate.

“One of us had to score to do the celebration,” he explained. “We knew before what we wanted to do. So I’m happy that I scored.

“We listened to some Japanese music in the dressing room, and then Kyogo came up with the dance. And so we said we’re going to do the dance.”

The trio would have been unlikely to score highly on a Strictly scorecard, but Kuhn pointed to another team-mate who would impress the dancing judges – and one who would not.

“I think Luis Palma is the best dancer,” he said. “There’s a group of really, really nice boys and I’m just happy to to be here.

“We were really happy for Tony that he scored at the end. I think it just shows that we share the joy and are happy for everyone.

“I don’t think Tony can dance. I think he has to score some more goals and then maybe he gets into dancing.”

Kuhn now appears to be finding his feet at Celtic after an underwhelming start to his Parkhead career following his £3m from Rapid Vienna in January. A stunning double in the recent friendly 4-3 win over Man City got Celtic fans talking and the winger lived up to the pre-season hype with an impressive display in the opening match of the new Scottish Premiership season.

“It was really important to start well. We continued what we did in the pre-season games. So we’re happy. The last games been really good. We scored four goals every game, so we hope it’s going to keep going like that.

“We got even closer together in pre-season. So it was a really good start. The whole pre-season was good for me. And I hope I can I can show more. It was a little bit difficult for me coming in the winter, but now I’m getting used to the team. They know what I’m able to do so I’m just happy. ”

Kuhn is one of six wingers currently on the books at Celtic with Palma, Daizen Maeda, James Forrest, Hung-jun Yang and Mikey Johnston all vying for a starting spot. He insists the competition for places is driving him to reach his best form.

“To have someone from behind who’s pushing is always good. You need a lot of players also, with all the competitions we have ahead.”

‘Embarrassed by a no-name’ – how the German press reacted to Celtic’s victory over RB Leipzig

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/embarrassed-by-a-no-name-how-the-german-press-reacted-to-celtics-victory-over-rb-leipzig-4855205
Matthew Elder
By Matthew Elder
Deputy Sports Editor

Published 6th Nov 2024, 11:33 GMT
Updated 6th Nov 2024, 11:59 GMT

German media focus on one Celtic star after Leipzig demolition
Celtic claimed their best Champions League result in recent years with a 3-1 victory over German Bundesliga title hopefuls RB Leipzig at an electrified Parkhead on Tuesday.

The Scottish champions produced a high-octane performance to match the highly-charged atmosphere inside the stadium as Brendan Rodgers’ side came from behind to seal three points courtesy of a Nicolas Kuhn double and a Reo Hatate strike. The victory moved Celtic onto seven points at the halfway stage of the newly-revamped Champions League to sit in a lofty 13th position in the 36-team table while Leipzig are down in 31st with zero points after a fourth straight defeat.

While the focus in Scotland has been on the brilliance of Celtic, over in Germany, the media have taken a rather dim view of the Leipzig display against a side who were thrashed 7-1 by Borussia Dortmund five weeks ago. In their report on the match, Germany’s largest newspaper Bild said Leipzig “was embarrassed by a German no-name professional – who, of all people, was trained in RB’s youth team,” in reference to Celtic hero Kuhn.

Writing more about Kuhn’s background, the report continued: “In 2020, when he had already left Leipzig, Kuhn won the Fritz Walter Medal in gold (award for the best German young player) and was considered a future DFB star. Interesting: The winger was discarded by the then RB sporting director Ralf Rangnick. He was of the opinion that Kühn’s game did not suit Leipzig’s pressing style of football. Kühn came to Celtic via Ajax II, Bayern II, Aue and Rapid Vienna. His record with the Scottish champions: 25 goals in 34 games – (still) a no-name in Germany, a celebrated hero in Glasgow.

A seperate report in Bild tipped the 24-year-old winger to now push for a first call-up to the German national team. “After his Champions League gala, Kuhn can even dream of playing for the national team,” it stated. “He is no stranger to the DFB! He played for all the junior national teams from the U15 to the U20 until his career stalled. Now Kuhn is starting anew.”

Bild also described the hostile reception the Leipzig players received upon arrival at Celtic Park: “The RB Leipzig players got a taste of the Champions League match in Glasgow when the bus arrived in front of the stadium. The loud Celtic fans shouted ‘Welcome to hell’ to them. And the evening really did turn out to be a hellish trip for the Bundesliga team…”

The victory earned Celtic an additional €2.1million in prize money to take their total Champions League earnings thus far minus gate receipts to €22.8m with an €11m bounty on offer for qualification to the last 16. Bild pointed to financial implication’s of Leipzig’s defeat to Celtic: “The bloodless 1:3 in Glasgow was the fourth Champions League defeat in four games . Leipzig is ranked 31st out of 36 in the XXL table, could slip even further on Wednesday and (almost) avoid the knockout round. An early exit would be expensive…

“The new Champions League mode offers even more bonuses: there is 11 million euros for reaching the round of 16. There are also new placement bonuses, with one million for places 9 to 16. RB has had the chance to win in all four games so far and has collected 2.1 million in prize money each time. The bottom line is that Leipzig is carelessly throwing away around 20 million! Theoretically, three wins are needed in the remaining four games. Next up is Inter Milan, then Aston Villa, then Sporting Lisbon, and finally Sturm Graz. Three of RB Leipzig ’s four opponents are currently among the top eight in the table.”

There was also criticism of the Leipzig performance, referencing a quote from coach Marco Rose before the game where he said: “Celtic is a strong team with very predictable processes.” The report added: “But it was apparently not that easy to see through after all… After the 1:2 defeat in Dortmund, Leipzig disappointed in the second top game in a row. Worrying: Not only the results in the top games do not reflect the squad, but also the performance. There is not much left of the former attacking and hurrah football. Against Celtic, there was a lack of conviction, dominance and game activity. The pressing was ineffective, especially in the second half.”

Celtic close in on first January signing – former Ajax and Bayern Munich attacker once labelled ‘next Messi’

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-close-in-on-first-january-signing-former-ajax-and-bayern-munich-attacker-once-labelled-next-messi-4475429

Negotations ongoing for £3m transfer of former Germany youth international

Matthew Elder

By Matthew Elder

Published 11th Jan 2024, 21:48 GMT

Celtic are closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window as negotations continue with Rapid Vienna for winger Nicolas Kuhn.

The Parkhead side opened formal discussions with the Austrian club earlier this week over a move for the 24-year-old German having tracked his progress over a number of months.

Rapid are reported to be seeking a fee in the region of 3 million euros for a player who has scored three goals and contributed seven assists in 22 appearances this season.

Kuhn spent three years in the RB Leipzig youth ranks before earning a 2 million euros move to Ajax at the age of 18. He played for the Amsterdam side’s second team before being signed by Bayern Munich, initially on loan, in 2020.

The attacker, who has played for Germany at every youth level up to Under-20s, was a regular in Bayern’s second team until 2022 when he made the move to Austria. His performances for Germany at the Under-17 World Cup held in India in 2017 led to him being labelled the “next Messi” by the German press.

Rapid sporting director Markus Katzer confirmed that his club have received offers for player, stating: “In principle, I don’t want to comment on any rumours. But I can confirm that we actually have concrete offers on the table for Nicolas Kuhn, but I don’t want to name the interested clubs.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has expressed a desire to add quallity to his ranks for the second half of the season with several players set to be missing when the squad returns from the winter break. Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Marco Tilio, Hyun-jun Yang and Hyeon-gyu Oh are all on international duty at the Asian Cup, while Nat Phillips has returned to Liverpool at the end of his loan deal. Yosuke Ideguchi completed a move to Vissel Kobe earlier this week, having spent the last year on loan in Japan, while defender Gustaf Lagerbielke is the subject of a loan bid from Serie A side Lecce.

Further departures are possible this month as Rodgers looked to trim his squad to make way for potentially three arrivals – a left-back, striker, and a winger, who now looks likely to be Kuhn.

Nicolas Kuhn has 2 big dreams for his career and ambitious Celtic star beams as he delivers on the first

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/nicolas-kuhn-2-big-dreams-33205833

Kuhn is now harbouring some big ideas about the size of the impact he is about to make here in Glasgow.

ByKeith Jackson

06:00, 10 JUL 2024

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Nicolas Kuhn has never been afraid to shoot for the stars.

When he was papped off to the lower leagues of the Bundesliga on loan from Bayern Munich’s B team, he said in one of his first interviews that his aim was to play in the Champions League and get back into the German national side. He was well aware of the funny looks his comments received. That was three years ago. In a couple of months time phase one of the plan will be completed, when Celtic return to the group stages of European football’s elite.

It’s perhaps no surprise at all then that Kuhn is now harbouring some big ideas about the size of the impact he is about to make here in Glasgow, now that he’s fully integrated into his new surroundings after, what he himself would admit, was a fairly inauspicious first six months in the city.

He arrived from Rapid Vienna in January, after suffering dramatic weight loss following a round of painful dental surgery which left him unable to eat properly for weeks ahead of the £3million move. He was also thrown into a title battle which was in danger of getting out of hand and, for much of the time, he was left watching it from the sidelines.

But the diminutive winger is now fully beefed up and hellbent on making a genuine heavyweight contribution to his first full campaign at the club – even though his fitness routine has taken a big bite of his summer holidays.

He said: There was a special reason for why I lost the weight so, at first, it was just about getting it back. I managed to do that but I was at a new club in a new country.

“Also when I came in it wasn’t an easy moment for the whole club. So it’s going to be a little bit different this year.

“I knew it was going to be important for me to come back for a full pre-season and start from the beginning with the rest of the team. I stayed in contact with my personal trainer back in Germany over the summer and also he kept in touch with the people at Celtic. It was perfect.

“They sent me a plan and I was doing all the work during my vacation so that I came back fully prepared. Sometimes I could even eat a burger or something like that but they weren’t the main dishes! So, no, I’m in a good place and the summer was good but now I’m here to get back to work. Every footballer has to try to do something over the break. It’s not like you can just rest for four weeks.

“I don’t think any of us even wants that. You have to be in shape and, when you come back, you want to be ready.”

He’ll miss out on Celtic’s matchday squad for tonight’s friendly against Queen’s Park but Kuhn will be on the flight to the States next week as Celtic prepare for tour matches against DC United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

And those games will provide him with a mouthwatering reminder of why he came here in the first place –and the promises he made himself after being farmed out to German minnows Erzgebirge Aue after failing to make the breakthrough at Bayern.

He went on: “It’ll be nice to be with the boys – at some point I think we might have had enough of each other – but it’ll be nice to have that time with them again. In the hotel before games, it’s always nice to be with them. We’re looking forward to it.

“It’s really important for us to have those tests against big teams in America. It’s great preparation for the Champions League as well, and good for us to see where we stand.

“It was always the biggest dream I had, to play in the Champions League.

“I was on loan from Bayern Munich to a second league team in Germany. I did an interview when I was there and I said that my goal is to one day play in the Champions League – and one day to get back in the national team.

“The first goal I hope I will reach next season.”

The second may take a while longer. But Kuhn doesn’t believe in placing any limits on his own expectations.

He went on: “I’ve played at a couple of clubs where they also want to win every trophy there is. So I know the mentality needed at a club like Celtic. Iwasn’t at Bayern Munich when they last won the Champions League but I trained with Ajax all season when they got to the semi-final against Tottenham.