Celtic’s appointment of Wilfried Nancy and the implementation of a new system has provided players with a clean slate to make a name for themselves at Parkhead.
One player who has benefitted from the change in shape has been South Korea international Hyun-jun Yang, who has emerged as the first-choice option at wing-back.
The 23-year-old star scored the second goal of the game for the Scottish Premiership giants in their 4-2 win over Livingston on Saturday, tapping in from close range.
Despite his strike against Livi last time out, though, the January transfer window could present danger to the winger’s place in the starting line-up.
Celtic join the race to sign Scottish star
A fresh report has emerged that suggests the Scottish giants could bring in a new signing who would come through the door to be an upgrade on Yang next month.
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According to the Daily Mail, Celtic have joined the race to sign versatile Hibernian star Josh Mulligan to bolster their squad for the second half of the season.
The report claims that the Hoops are showing an interest in the Scottish talent, who joined Hibs on a free transfer from Dundee in the summer, alongside teams from down south.
Premier League sides Leeds United and Nottingham Forest are also said to have been credited with an interest in the midfield star, which means that there will be plenty of competition for his signature.
It adds that Hibernian are not looking to cash in on him in the January transfer window, though, as they want to wait until this summer, suggesting that it would take a significant fee to change their mind.
Why Celtic should sign Josh Mulligan
The Scottish Premiership champions should be pushing to secure a winter deal for the 23-year-old talent because he could be the perfect signing for Nancy’s 3-4-2-1 system.
Per Transfermarkt, Mulligan has played the majority of his games this season as a central midfielder for Hibs, but played the majority of his matches as a right wing-back for Dundee last term.
Whether he has been deployed in the middle of the park or as a wing-back, the Scottish ace has shown that he has the quality to provide impressive creativity down the right flank in the Premiership.
Yang currently has the shirt as the right wing-back for Nancy, but the South Korean forward has failed to produce a single assist in 20 appearances in all competitions, per Sofascore, after a return of three assists in 29 outings in the 2024/25 campaign for the Hoops.
Whilst Yang has mustered up three goals and no assists in 20 matches for Celtic, Mulligan has scored three goals and provided four assists in all competitions for Hibernian, per Transfermarkt.
The Hibs star, as shown in the clip above, has the athleticism and quality to maraud down the right flank, taking players on and creating chances for his teammates on a consistent basis.
24/25 + 25/26 Premiership
Yang
Mulligan
Appearances
35
53
Key passes per game
0.6
0.9
Big chances created
4
12
Assists
2
9
Successful dribbles
26
48
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Mulligan has created eight more ‘big chances’ and provided seven more assists than Yang in the Premiership since the start of last season.
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These statistics suggest that the Scottish ace would be far more suited to playing in the new wing-back role that has been created by Nancy’s system, as he is a natural in that position and has proven himself to be incredibly effective in that role.
In fact, his former teammate Simon Ferry once said: “He’s a Rolls-Royce like Gareth Bale – powerful, strong, direct. He’s a machine at that age. He wants to learn, listens to you.”
That comparison to the former Real Madrid and Tottenham star paints a picture of the kind of player Mulligan is. He loves to race up and down the wing to make things happen for his team, which is reflected in his statistics in the Premiership.
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His chance creation and assist numbers, as well as his successful dribbles, speak for themselves. He is a brilliant Premiership wing-back who could offer far more than Yang as a creative force for Nancy, which is why Celtic must push to get a deal done for him.