Benjamin Nygren was Celtic’s Player of the Year. But he could be so much more.

Benjamin Nygren being named Celtic’s Player of the Year is not just a success story. It is the success story of this season. In a campaign riddled with questions, frustrations and moments of madness, his rise feels almost defiant. Like a quiet answer to all the noise.

Because let’s not forget where this all began.

Before Celtic, Nygren was not arriving with the fanfare of a guaranteed superstar.

His career path was interesting. Sweden gave him his grounding, Genk gave him a glimpse of a higher level, and then came the detour to Holland and the move to Denmark. A lot of countries, and that lingering question mark that tends to follow players who almost break through but never quite settle.

He was one of those names you look at and think: “Aye, there’s something there, but is it enough?” That is exactly why his story matters.

When he arrived in the summer, it did not feel like a statement signing. Not in the way fans crave. No huge headlines. No grand unveiling dripping in inevitability. Just another addition to a squad that, if we are being honest, felt uneven and uncertain.

I remember thinking this could go either way. A gamble. Another body, but not exactly a signing to inspire hope. We needed strikers. What were we doing bringing in another central midfielder? And if that was a priority, why not a defensive one?

Was it a “Brendan signing” or one imposed on him? Most of the summer signings were, and the story that has stalked them all is that he took the huff and decided not to use any of the guys who he was supposed to play ever week.

And here is where it gets interesting, because while plenty of signings came and went, drifting in and out of relevance, Brendan Rodgers made a choice. A very deliberate one, but one which rejects that lazy theory out of hand. He trusted Nygren.

That part should not be ignored. Rodgers did not play everyone. He did not force certain players into the system just because they arrived with the rubber stamp of that clown Tisdale on them. Some were left on the fringes. Some never truly got a look in. Those guys were never good enough and should never have been signed. Their subsequent failures prove that conclusively.

But Nygren? He was used. Developed. Given a role. That tells you everything.

It tells you that Rodgers saw something in him that he did not see in those others. Football intelligence. Positional awareness. The ability to operate between the lines, to drift, to create and to see passes just a second quicker than everyone else.

It is not always flashy. It is not always loud. But it is there. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Brendan did not reject good players because they were pushed on him. He rejected players who either didn’t have the stuff or couldn’t fit the way he wanted to play. Rodgers is, and has always been, a pragmatist, but one with high standards.

Nygren remains enigmatic. Even now after a full season, after performances that earned him the title of Player of the Year, there is still a strange hesitation from parts of the support. He is admired, aye. But fully embraced?

There is still that lingering sense of “prove it again.”

Maybe it is because he does not fit the traditional mould. Maybe it is because he is not thunder and fire every single match.

Or maybe, and this is where my Ginger Witch instinct starts whispering, it is because Celtic fans sense there is another level in him and we’re not seeing it yet. Maybe it’s the system itself; maybe he is suited to a slightly different style of play. But the sense is that there’s more to come.

They are waiting for it.

Nygren has been brilliant, but not complete. Effective, but not fully unleashed. There are moments, fleeting and teasing moments, where you see what he could become in the right system, under the right conditions, with the right pieces around him.

That is when it hits you. We have not seen the best of him yet and that both tantalises with prospects and promise and makes you worry that we won’t at the same time. Because when we look ahead to the summer, this is where things start to twist.

Because success brings attention. It always does. Clubs have noticed his goals. Scouts will have taken notes. A player like Nygren, technical, intelligent and adaptable, is exactly the kind of profile that bigger leagues start circling around.

So, the question becomes unavoidable. What happens if the bid comes? I do not mean a half-hearted enquiry. I mean a serious offer. The kind that tests Celtic’s resolve.

Here is my honest take. If Celtic have not built something coherent around him by then, if he is still operating in a system that only half-utilises his strengths, then the risk of losing him grows massively. Players like Nygren do not just want to play.

They want to belong to a footballing idea. It’s as Callum said, in his interview. This club has to live up to the ambitions of these guys, or they won’t want to hang about.

But if Celtic get this right? If the squad is rebuilt properly, if the system is sharpened, if whoever stands in that dugout leans into what Nygren actually is, then you are not just keeping a good player. You are unlocking something far more dangerous.

Because Nygren is not a luxury player. He is a connector. A facilitator. The kind who makes others better while quietly dictating the rhythm of a game. Those players become invaluable when the structure around them is right.

That is why I keep coming back to the same thought.

Benjamin Nygren could be a brilliant player, but brilliance alone is not enough. It’s certainly why numerous clubs from top leagues are already sitting up and taking notice, and if he has a good World Cup there will be more of them.

But his talent needs direction. It needs belief. It needs a system that does not just include him, but understands what he can do.

This summer feels like a turning point. Either Celtic recognise what they have and build accordingly, or someone else will.

My instinct is screaming that a bid will come. Maybe not headline-shattering, but enough to tempt, enough to stir debate, enough to test ambition. When it does, Celtic will face a choice that defines more than one player’s future.

Do you cash in? Or do you double down on what could still become something extraordinary? Because I’ll say this, hand on heart: Nygren has not peaked. Not even close.

There is a version of him still waiting to emerge. A sharper, more dominant, more decisive version. The kind that does not just win Player of the Year awards, but drags teams through seasons and into history.

If Celtic are brave enough, smart enough and bold enough this summer, they might just be the ones who get to witness it.

And if they are not? Someone else will.

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