The Window is shut, time to look ahead…
The transfer window slammed shut late last night and the squad we have will have to do us until at least January 2024. So how did we do? It’s actually not as bad as some folk would have you believe.
Yes we sold Jota and Carl Starfelt and Aaron Mooy retired , but we kept all our other star players. We even signed up our front players Daizen Maeda, Kyogo and Liel Abada on extended deals, not forgetting our inspirational captain Callum McGregor also.
We brought in Marco Tilio, Yang, Odin Thiago Holm, Maik Nawrocki, Lars Lagerbielke, Kwon, and of course this week Luis Palma, Nat Phillips and Paulo Bernardo and also Tomoki Iwata’s initial loan deal was made permanent.
That’s ten players, eleven if you count Tomoki Iwata. It was disappointing of course that we missed out on a goalkeeper and a left back, especially a left back as it’s no secret we need to improve that area. Maybe Brendan’s got his eyes on someone for January?
Or even may play to bring in a free agent with news that French side OGC Nice yesterday terminated the contract of former Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
That means does it not that he is free to sign for a club outside the transfer window. Will there be a re-union with his old Leicester boss in the East End of Glasgow?
Nice signed a keeper from PSG in the summer and that meant Schmeichel was no longer first pick. He wants to play so if he will only go to a side where he’s going to be first choice. Will that be something Brendan Rodgers would be prepared to offer the Danish keeper? Time will tell.
There’s no time to whine about any perceived Celtic failing in the transfer window. as we have what we have and on Sunday we face our first big challenge of the season. Yes we play theRangers at Ibrox.
We are currently top of the league looking down on theRangers and want to stay there and avoiding a defeat on Sunday should see us achieve that. A Celtic win will heap the pressure on Mick Beale after his latest big match set-back in midweek.
So it’s time for the Celtic support to look forward not back, the real challenge starts now, not just Sunday, but the next few months ahead with the Champions League fixtures announced and trips being booked up this morning – it’s an exciting time to be a Celtic supporter.
OGC Nice have terminated goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s contract by mutual consent.
The former Leicester City player is now a free agent.#DeadlineDay pic.twitter.com/ZvfV98P5ih
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) September 1, 2023
That’s me finished with the window, in my view it was a missed opportunity and a gamble which I hope comes off. Tomorrow we go into battle against the foe and we need to get some positivity going. We can defeat them but a draw is not a bad result. HH pic.twitter.com/WZOsQ3wxUh
— Celtic Gossip (@CelticGossip) September 2, 2023
➡️ DÉPARTS
🇵🇹 Jota (Al-Ittihad)
🇦🇺 Mooy (retraite)
🇸🇪 Starfelt (Celta Vigo)
NIR Hazard (Plymouth Argyle)
🇬🇷 Barkas (libéré, Utrecht)
🇨🇮 Soro (Beitar Jerusalem)
🏴 Urhoghide (Amiens SC)
🇨🇭 Ajeti (Gaziantep FK) ???— Celtic France (@Celtic_FR) September 2, 2023
Everyone’s got an opinion, but not having seen Palma, Bernardo, Phillips or Tillo player… I’m not sure how you can call the window a ‘disaster’, etc.
Nawrocki, Lagerbielke, Holm and Yang all look to have good potential.
This is the model now. Develop potential, sell. 🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/rlm5j4OOd4
— 🍔 Gastro Celtic 🍀 (@Gastro_Celtic) September 2, 2023
Fed up of the doom and gloom merchants. The work that must have gone in to achieve this, plus the extended contracts and retaining Hatate and O’Riley, is phenomenal. You’ve had your moans, now wheesht and support the team. pic.twitter.com/76F5zphMT7
— Mary Quigley (@maryeilmicdom) September 2, 2023
Morning Tims. 💚 No negativity from me. I'd say our squad IS stronger now. First team ready players in Phillips,Rocky,Gustaf,Yang. Palma & Bernardo could also be 1st team material. Yes, we lost Jota. But, one man doesn't make a team ? As Starfelt has been adequately covered. 🍀
— Celtic Symphony (@DM8883) September 2, 2023
➡️ In
🇵🇹 Bernardo (Loan)
🏴 Phillips (Loan)
🇭🇳 Palma
🇸🇪 Lagerbielke
🇵🇱 Nawrocki
🇰🇷 Kwon
🇰🇷 Yang
🇯🇵 Iwata
🇦🇺 Tilio
🇳🇴 Holm🤝 New Contracts
🇯🇵 Kyogo
🇮🇱 Abada
🏴 Welsh
🏴 McGregor⬅️ Out
🇵🇹 Jota
🇦🇺 Mooy
🇸🇪 Starfelt
🇲🇪 Haksa (Loan)
+ many more… pic.twitter.com/sDXA36UBhF— Celtic F1rst (@CelticF1rst) September 1, 2023
Celtic Incomings, 8 new players + Iwata permanent🤔among them best young player in Australia "Tilio' best young player in Norway "Holm" best young player in Korea "Yang"🙄Holm/Yang/Maik/Gus already played in 1st team! We lost Jota, Starfelt, Mooy & some fans are like😏 pic.twitter.com/tuqB3wzz4m
— JPBurton🇵🇸🏴🇮🇪 (@JPBurton5) September 1, 2023
6/10 sold Jota & starfelt for £30m got shut a players to free up wages so you can say the only people who are happy with this transfer window is the board 🍀 https://t.co/oDbRG2KvOy
— celtic jaime 🍀 (@jaimelawson08) September 2, 2023
Your just replacing Hart with a keeper of the same age and certainly of no better quality