RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Reminding some of the once viral Techno Viking, Kasper Hogh is already earning rave reviews after recording his first goals - and first hat-trick - for Celtic.
Big-money signings come with big expectations and the Scottish champions' record-breaking summer recruit put in a statement performance in Saturday's thumping 5-1 win over Kilmarnock .
The £11m striker had his side ahead in just 64 seconds and, with little more than half an hour played, he had already earned the match ball, a firm back-post header having been followed by a precise low finish before a diving header completed a rapid-fire treble.
Although Daizen Maeda had managed the feat in cup ties, this was the first hat-trick from a Celtic forward in the league since October 2022, when James Forrest hit three against Hibernian.
Unsurprisingly, it's already drawing comparisons between the new number nine and the heroes of the past.
The Danish forward has only played 175 minutes of competitive football for Celtic so far, but the signs are already hugely encouraging and Premiership defences have been put on notice that a proven goalscorer has arrived.
Hogh had drawn some criticism for failing to show a finishing touch against Dundee in Celtic's Premiership opener, but he didn't take long to put that experience behind him when he rose to nod in Arne Engels' cross from close range while some fans were still taking their seats at Rugby Park.
The goal impressed BBC pundit Pat Nevin, who noted it as "an easy goal, but a good goal and that's where strikers want to live".
The former Scotland winger watched Hogh find space to add two more and believes there's already evidence that the defending champions have a real talent on their hands.
"Hogh is a new star," Nevin said. "And the Celtic fans have got someone they are going to fall in love with because he looks to me like a total and utter natural goalscorer, as well as a good technical player as well.
"Celtic loved Daizen Maeda with his workrate, and before that Kyogo Furuhashi, but this guy looks like he can fill those shoes with some ease.
"I can remember watched Kyogo in his first game and thinking 'Oh, my word, you could be the new Larsson' because of his movement and he's that good.
"After 45 minutes, I'm looking at Hogh and thinking this isn't a fluke. Some players can come in and get a hat-trick and it's a bit lucky because you find yourself in the right position.
"No, this is a player, this is a striker who knows where the goal is, knows where to go, has intelligent movement and there's his link-up play as well."
BBC Scotland's chief sportswriter, Tom English, was equally impressed and saw a striker who can "tear up this league".
"Hogh is looking more ruthless than he did on Monday, when he had chances and didn't take them," he said.
"In my opinion, he is the most proven goalscorer that Celtic have signed since Chris Sutton. I'm talking about pedigree, who has done it before he got to Celtic.
"Look at the goals he's scored in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Inter Milan and for Bodo/Glimt against Sporting, Olympiacos and Porto.
"I think it's £11m very well spent and this guy is going to get buckets of goals this season. He's a six-yard-box striker, not exclusively, but he gets a lot of his goals there and in this league against the defenders he's coming up against, he's going to tear up this league."
Speaking to Sky Sports after the final whistle, Hogh laughed as he put his exploits down to "shooting practice", but he already had a strong scoring record from his time in Norway, where he was Bodo/Glimt's top scorer in the last two seasons and built a wider reputation as Kjetil Knutsen's side made a splash in Europe.
It's that balance of sustained goalscoring across both domestic and European football that Celtic are hoping to get from the 25-year-old.
After the goals that drew him level with St Mirren midfielder Killian Phillips as the top scorer in the Premiership at this early stage, his next challenge is to help his side progress in the League Cup before the crucial Champions League play-off tie against LASK.
Sunday's hat-trick is a start on repaying the record outlay that Celtic made to bring him to Glasgow, but the club is eyeing progress in Europe and the riches the Champions League can lavish on the club will easily exceed what was paid for the forward.
If Hogh can help the team to success at the elite level, where he has already shone against the biggest names, comparison with great Celtic strikers of the past is guaranteed.
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