As we approach the business end of the January transfer window Celtic has so far completed just the one signing, bringing in the 24 year-old German winger Nicolas Kuhn in a £3m transfer from Austrian side Rapid Vienna.
Will we get the excitement of a Kull Jet or two landing at Glasgow Airport, carrying the much longed for additions to the Celtic squad? Remember the excitement when it was Ange Postecoglou stepping out of a private jet after arriving in Glasgow in June 2021 to take up the reins at Celtic Park. They one worked out magnificently for Celtic, and indeed Big Ange, but others have been less successful, filing to live up to the hype and the supporters expectations.
A relatively recent example of this would be the Swiss international Albian Ajeti, who was given the chance to sign for Celtic in the summer 2020 window but decided to go on holiday to think things over. He then decided to sign for the Bhoys and a private jet arrived in Glasgow carrying Neil Lennon’s £5m signing from West Ham. Watching Ajeti arrive in Glasgow was pretty much as exciting as it got for the Celtic support as far as Ajeti is concerned.
The Kuhn capture aside, the indications pointed to Brendan Rodgers adding a new left-back and a striker to his squad and possibly a new goalkeeper, although that one is perhaps a higher priority for the summer transfer window, as Joe Hart looks like he will see out his Celtic contract as the first choice goalie, and rightly so.
The Celtic manager has indicated that he’ll have a sit down with the former England No.1 towards the end of the season and see where that takes things. The conversation is likely going to centre around Celtic’s need to introduce Hart’s successor – and that is highly unlikely to be either Scott Bain or Ben Siegrist, who are the back-ups at the moment.
Will Hart be content having to compete for the gloves and will Celtic look at signing a keeper who has the status to be the first pick from new season which will start at the beginning of August. A year mostly sitting on the Celtic bench may not appeal to Joe Hart who loves playing the game and would not be short of options for a year or two elsewhere, perhaps in the Championship in England or even another move abroad.
In the chase for a striker, the transfer gossip surrounds the likes of Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski and Hearts frontman Lawrence Shankland as well as Danish striker Mathias Kvistgaarden and he’s the only one of the three likely to arrive in a private jet. Incidentally, a friend of a friend is close to the action on the Shankland situation and feels that the Hearts captain will most likely be heading for Ibrox rather than Paradise before the month is out.
Miovski is likely to cost £4.5m while it could be £5m plus to tempt Brondby to part with their striker as they are involved in a three way title race in Denmark.
Celtic’s left-back woes continue with Owen Beck, a player that The Celtic Star recommended to Celtic back in early September, playing seven minutes for Liverpool against Bournemouth on Sunday. As he’s already had the first half of the season on loan at Dundee, that means he can’t move from Anfield until the summer.
And talking of Liverpool, that’s where the next Celtic goalkeeper could be coming from, with Ireland international goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher strongly linked with a move to the Hoops, if and it’s a big if, Celtic can get Jurgen Klopp to lower his rather extravagant valuation for his second choice keeper. As mentioned above that one is likely to rumble on to the summer.
