---
title: "Profit Players: Leigh Griffiths has been a consistently brilliant marksman for Celtic despite some difficult moments"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/profit-players-leigh-griffiths-has-been-a-consistently-brilliant-marksman-for-celtic-despite-some-difficult-moments/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Liam Togher"
section: "Features"
published: "2019-11-30T07:00:25Z"
modified: "2019-11-30T07:00:25Z"
---

# Profit Players: Leigh Griffiths has been a consistently brilliant marksman for Celtic despite some difficult moments

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Profit-Players-1.png)

**This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.**

There were so many positive aspects for Celtic from last weekend’s 4-0 win over Livingston at Parkhead.

James Forrest continued his excellent scoring form with [two more goals taking him to 13 for the season](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/james-forrest/leistungsdaten/spieler/84992), Jeremie Frimpong gave a tremendous performance which was [lauded by many Hoops supporters](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/scottish-premier/celtic/celtic-fans-rave-about-jeremie-frimpong-after-win-over-livingston/) and Neil Lennon’s team topped up their goal difference nicely as Rangers [kept pace with them points-wise](https://www.skysports.com/football/hamilton-vs-rangers/411299) at the Premiership summit.

Another plus point from the game was the return of Leigh Griffiths as a 68th-minute substitute for his first appearance in almost three months, as noted by [celticfc.net](https://www.celticfc.net/news/17135).

The 29-year-old striker has experienced some lofty highs and testing lows since coming to Celtic in January 2014 in a £1m deal from Wolves (as per [Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2549486/Leigh-Griffiths-undergoes-medical-Celtic-Neil-Lennon-finally-gets-1m-man-Celtic-transfer-news.html)).

Griffiths made an instant impact upon arriving at Parkhead, scoring seven goals and setting up nine more in just 13 games in the latter part of the 2013/14 season. \[[via TransferMarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leigh-griffiths/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/45611/plus/0/saison/2013/wettbewerb/SC1/verein/371)\]

It wasn’t all good news for the striker in his first few months at Celtic, though, as he ended up in court over his singing of a racially sensitive chant about then-Hearts player Rudi Skacel in an Edinburgh pub. \[[via BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-34220648)\]

The [arrival of Ronny Deila](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27718845) in place of Lennon also worked out unfavourably for Griffiths, who [struggled for minutes in the first half of the 2014/15 Premiership season](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leigh-griffiths/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/45611/plus/0/saison/2014/wettbewerb/SC1/verein/371) and was publicly admonished by Deila for a perceived lack of fitness amid links of a loan move back to Hibernian. \[[via The Telegraph](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/celtic/11110253/Leigh-Griffiths-must-become-a-24-hour-athlete-warns-Celtic-manager-Ronny-Deila.html)\]

He altered his manager’s perception by the end of that season, though, with [12 of his 14 league goals being scored from January onward](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leigh-griffiths/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/45611/plus/0/saison/2014/wettbewerb/SC1/verein/371) and Deila hailing him as a “24-hour athlete” in commenting on his improved fitness (as per [Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9807448/leigh-griffiths-earns-plaudits-from-celtic-boss-ronny-deila)).

It was in the 2015/16 season that Griffiths truly exploded into life. He ended the season with [31 goals in 34 Premiership games](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leigh-griffiths/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/45611/plus/0/saison/2015/wettbewerb/SC1/verein/371) and [40 goals in all competitions](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leigh-griffiths/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/45611), the first Celtic player to do so since Henrik Larsson 12 years previously (as per [Daily Record](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/celtic-star-leigh-griffiths-scoring-7951124)), and was named the [PFA Scotland Player of the Year](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36183405).

The following season was not as glorious for the striker, who despite scoring [12 league goals](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leigh-griffiths/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/45611/plus/0/saison/2016/wettbewerb/SC1/verein/371)was [in and out of Brendan Rodgers’ starting XI](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leigh-griffiths/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/45611/plus/0/saison/2016/wettbewerb/SC1/verein/371) due to the magnificent form of Moussa Dembele with [32 goals that season](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/moussa-dembele/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/229004).

Further controversy would stalk Griffiths during 2017/18, having reacted to having a [bottle thrown at him](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40615248) in a Champions League qualifier away to Linfield by [tying a Celtic scarf around one of the goalposts](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40581146), an incident which [earned him a charge from UEFA](https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/uefa-charge-celtic-star-leigh-griffiths-for-provoking-linfield-fans-1-4506321).

A few weeks later, he was reported to have wiped the contents of his nose on one of the corner flags at Ibrox during a 2-0 derby win, as per [The Scotsman](https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/watch-leigh-griffiths-pick-his-nose-and-wipe-it-on-rangers-flag-1-4568031).

Griffiths still struck [13 goals that season](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leigh-griffiths/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/45611) despite those controversies and reached 100 goals for Celtic at the start of the following campaign after scoring against Suduva of Lithuania, as per [Daily Record](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leigh-griffiths-joins-celtics-100-13167346).

However, his career was then put on hold last December after Rodgers announced that the striker would be taking time out from football due to personal issues, as per [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46539911).

Griffiths spoke openly about suffering from depression upon his return to football last summer (as per [Herald Scotland](https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/17735464.leigh-griffiths-opens-up-about-his-battle-with-major-depression-after-making-his-celtic-return/)) and thankfully has returned to the Celtic first-team fold this season, scoring [three goals in the first month of the campaign](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leigh-griffiths/leistungsdaten/spieler/45611) before being sidelined by a [thigh injury](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50350400).

The 29-year-old has endured plenty of difficult moments during his time with the Hoops but his goal tally of [107 in 212 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leigh-griffiths/leistungsdatenverein/spieler/45611) for the club following last weekend’s action is that of a predatory striker who, for just £1m, has been a fantastic coup for Celtic.

***Celtic fans, how good an acquisition has Griffiths proven to be during his time at the club? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!***