Celtic supporters are looking for the club to support the manager and bring in the quality signings that Brendan Rodgers has repeatedly stated are needed if Celtic are to return to being competitive in European football.
Rodgers returned to the club last summer in the middle of a transfer flurry and Celtic looked to recruit project signings from all corners of the globe to be developed at the club and thereafter sold for multi-million pounds profits. It’s a nice idea on paper but it relies on the players being recruited being good enough on the park.
Ange Postecoglou had arrived two years earlier and immediately set about rebuilding the Celtic squad after the disastrous Covid hit 2020-21 season. Players like Kyogo, Jota, Liel Abada, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Carl Starfelt and Joe Hart were brought in with the likes of Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Matt O’Riley all arriving on the opening day of the January 2022 window.
Back then Celtic’s transfer dealings were quick, easy and as exciting as landing a bet365 bonus. The Kyogo deal was announced in the wee small hours via selling club Vissel Kobe so Celtic fans woke to the news that a new striker was on his way. Incidentally Kyogo played for Vissel Kobe 95 times, and on Saturday in the season opener at Celtic Park, the striker equalled that appearance number for Celtic.
The same thing seemed to be happening in summer 2023 as Rodgers returned and Celtic were in the process of a global projects signing frenzy with the likes of Marco Tilio arriving from Australia, Hyeokkyu Kwon and Hyunjun Yang from South Korea and various signings from around Europe including Gustaf Lagerbielke from Sweden, Maik Nawrocki from Poland, Odin Thiago Holm from Norway and the Honduran winger Luis Palma from Greece.
This activity has hardly proved itself to be shrewd with only Palma looking like he’s going to be a regular starter with the jury out on the rest, to say the least. Tilio for instance arrived injured and has been sent back to Melbourne on loan. It’s doubtful he’ll ever return.
Rodgers though gave chances to just about all these new signings then came to his own conclusions as the season looked like running away from him. The tried and tested performers were then relied on, veteran winger James Forrest was restored to the side and the performances and the results improved significantly as Celtic pulled away from challengers theRangers before rubbing salt into their wounds with a Scottish Cup final victory against the latest Ibrox club.
After the rush to spend last summer, it’s fair to say that Celtic has become more cautious in the transfer market, reverting to their old ways. In the January window and now in the summer this has been incredibly frustrating for the Celtic support as just two outfield players has been signed starting with Paulo Bernardo who was on loan at the club last season with Celtic already having an option to buy.
Adam Idah scored the winner in that Scottish Cup final victory over theRangers and both the player and the Celtic manager made no secret that they want the Ireland international striker signed on a permanent deal from Norwich City. Just like the Bernardo deal with Benfica, that dragged on leaving the fans concerned that the only striker at the club is Kyogo. The Idah deal was concluded this week after Celtic agreed an £8.5m deal with Norwich which includes add-ons.
There are of course two weeks before the summer transfer window closes. Brendan Rodgers is looking at sending players like Lagerbielke and Nawrocki out on loan while the club seems certain to sell star player Matt O’Riley for £25m or more, with Atalanta currently looking like winning that transfer tussle of the summer after seeing off he likes of Southampton and Brighton.
So currently the Celtic squad is no stronger than it was on Scottish Cup Final day, with Bernardo and Idah back but with Matt O’Riley likely to leave.
Brendan Rodgers must be looking at a central defender, a left back, another striker and a midfield replacement for Matt O’Riley should the expected sale go through. That would be the minimum to give Celtic a realistic chance in the Champions League’s new format.
You have to think that the Celtic Board are thinking along similar lines, if they are not they are going to find that the support is not going to be happy. Far from it. But they already know that, right?
