Celtic have officially confirmed the arrival of Brendan Rodgers as their new first-team manager on a three-year deal to replace Ange Postecoglou.
The 50-year-old head coach has returned to the club for his second stint in Glasgow, having already been in charge between 2016 and 2019 earlier in his career.
Rodgers will now be tasked with navigating the summer transfer window in order to bolster his squad and Xavier Mbuyamba could be an impressive first option for the ex-Leicester boss.
Last month, Sky Sports reported that Celtic and Watford were two of the teams interested in signing the 21-year-old central defender.
The FC Volendam ace, who has been compared to Virgil van Dijk, is a former Chelsea and Barcelona youth product who the Hoops are said to be eyeing up.
Would Xavier Mbuyamba be a good signing for Celtic?
Mbuyamba could be an excellent addition for the Scottish giants as Rodgers could unearth his next version of Kristoffer Ajer by bringing the young defender to the club.
During his first spell with the Hoops, the Northern Irish tactician showed faith in the Norwegian titan, who was 19-21 in that period, by using him in 66 competitive matches.
The towering centre-back went on to sign for Premier League side Brentford for an initial fee of £13.5m in 2021 and Rodgers deserves huge credit for his development as the former Liverpool coach was the one to bring him into the first-team fold to provide the talented gem with a platform to develop and showcase his ability.
Mbuyamba, 6 foot 5, could now follow in the 6 foot 6 Ajer's footsteps at Parkhead in the coming years after an impressive campaign in the Eredivisie with Volendam.
The right-footed colossus averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.99 across 28 league outings and made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game for his side, which is more than any Celtic defender managed in the 2022/23 Scottish Premiership.
He also showcased his ability to hold his own in physical battles in spite of his young age as the 21-year-old won 53% of his duels, which means that opposition forwards do not get the better of him on a regular basis.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig once hailed the giant ace as "complete", "dominant", and "elegant", and placed his potential at 8.5/10. This indicates that the Netherlands U19 international has a bright future ahead of him and could be a long-term project for the Scottish giants.
Celtic must now take a gamble on Mbuyamba and snap the excellent youngster up this summer as the Volendam star could be the next version of Ajer to burst onto the scene under Rodgers before being sold for millions in the future.