Celtic’s Summer Transfer Window - So far and what still needs to be done

This summer, there have been a total of seven signings made by Celtic, that’s if you include the acquisitions of Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide who are unlikely to be key members of the first team in the forthcoming season. Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi, Carl Starfelt, James McCarthy and Joe Hart make up the other five who Ange Postecoglou has enticed to Glasgow. 

Because each of the signings this summer have only made a handful, or even less than that, of appearances, it is arduous to gauge whether or not they will be a long term success in Glasgow. So far, the five afore mentioned players that are likely to play a major part this campaign, excluding James McCarthy, have hit the ground running. Especially Kyogo Furuhashi who netted a hat trick on his home debut, the first player to do so since William Fleming in 1924. That’s the story so far for Celtic this summer in terms of incomings. Let’s look at the players who have departed in the past few months. 

When a football club is in a ‘rebuilding’ stage such as Celtic is, it is inevitable there will be several departures. This has certainly been the case this summer at Celtic; four loanees headed back to their parent clubs in Jonjoe Kenny, Diego Laxalt, Shane Duffy and Mohamed Elyounoussi; this summer alone, six players have left permanently in Scott Brown, Kristoffer Ajer, Olivier Ntcham, Bayo, Jack Hendry and Marian Shved albeit half of them were on loan in 20/21 and there were also various deviations from January onwards with the likes of Jeremie Frimpong, Hatem Elhamed and Patryk Klimala all moving on to pastures new. 

Despite seven arrivals through the ever revolving door at Parkhead this summer,  there is undoubtedly work still to be done in the transfer market. Today, I’ll be looking at the positions which still need to be strengthened going into the final two weeks of the transfer window. Some are astute certs however others are up for debate. 

Right Back

There were several grumblings among the Celtic support in terms of going into competitive action this season with Anthony Ralston as the first choice right back at the club.

However, the 22 year old has proved his doubters wrong so far in 21/22, scoring 2 goals in his 2 league games. His development under Ange Postecoglou has been nothing short of astounding however Celtic still need another right back at the club to compete and push Ralston. It seems there are two main candidates for this position in Croatian international Josip Juranovic and Manchester City youngster Yan Couto. The latter appears most likely to become Celtic’s next right back after he attended the club’s 3-0 win over Jablonec. Right back is probably the only position in this article which isn’t up for debate whether or not it needs strengthened. 

Centre Back

Celtic have recently brought in a centre back in Carl Starfelt this summer although should the Hoops be looking to further reinforce the back line? 

Well, Celtic have been linked with a few centre backs even after the purchase of Starfelt. Ko Itakura and Cameron Carter-Vickers are two names that have been mentioned. Stephen Welsh and Nir Bitton are currently competing for a spot in the centre of defence alongside Starfelt with Welsh presently looking like he’s winning that battle. Dane Murray displayed raw potential in the games he’s played however that was all; a season on loan could be beneficial for the teenager. 

Christopher Jullien has been out with injury since December of last year. The Frenchman isn’t due back for at least another month however when he is fit it is expected he will slot back into the centre of the Celtic defence alongside Carl Starfelt. This would mean four senior centre backs would be fit if you include Nir Bitton in that bracket. However a loan, for a season, of someone like Carter-Vickers or Itakura wouldn’t be a injudicious move. 

Left Back

Greg Taylor has started virtually every game in Ange Postecoglou’s tenure as Celtic manager. The Scot hasn’t looked out of place either and has taken like a duck to water in the inverted full back role. The 23 year old always gives 100% week in, week out although he rarely stands out and his lack of physical presence is something opposition sides look to take advantage of. 

Boli Bolingoli has barely had a look in since Postecoglou’s arrival. The Belgian has yet to make a competitive appearance this season and after his debacle of last summer, a permanent departure could be beneficial for both the club and the player. It seems youngster Adam Montgomery is ahead of the 26 year old in the pecking order nevertheless. Montgomery himself has only played 136 minutes of competitive football throughout his young career and is a natural left winger anyway. With such an untested player looking to be the back up to Greg Taylor, Celtic could do no worse than bring in a left sided full back. In terms of players that have been linked, they have been sparse. Aaron Hickey was reportedly of interested from his boyhood club at the beginning of the window although that initial rumour seems to have faded away.

Currently, it looks like left back is not a priority for Ange Postecoglou and his team although once some problem positions have been taken care of, I’m sure left back will be one that is thoroughly reviewed. 

Striker/Left Wing

Celtic bringing in either a left winger or a striker this summer heavily depends on the sale of Odsonne Edouard, one would imagine. There has been no concrete interest in the Frenchman, just rumours of bids from Southampton and Brighton which never really came to fruition. If Edouard does end up departing, that would leave Kyogo Furuhashi, Albian Ajeti and Leigh Griffiths as the strikers Ange Postecoglou would have available to him. Ajeti has played just 46 minutes of competitive football since the Australian took charge. As for Griffiths, the 30 year old continues to have troubles off the park and has never played more than 25 league games in a season since the 17/18 campaign. It is safe to say Griffiths is not the most reliable option up top. 

Ryan Christie has predominantly featured at left wing for Celtic so far this campaign and has excelled in the role. James Forrest, Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada could all prospectively play there if required. The Japanese proved this on Sunday against Hearts with yet another exceptional performance. Mikey Johnston is the only natural left sided winger at the club although his young career continues to be ravaged by injury problems. 

In my opinion, Celtic will not look to bring in a left winger or striker until Odsonne Edouard leaves. If the 23 year old does end up securing a move, it would be up for debate which position should be invested in. With Celtic’s reported interest in both Thomas Henry and Kristijan Lovric, it is unclear. However, one thing is certain, with Edouard at the club, Celtic’s frontline looks like a menacing one that will send shivers down the spine of opposition sides with himself and all of Ryan Christie, James Forrest, Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi, Albian Ajeti, Leigh Griffiths and even the afore mentioned Mikey Johnston available to Ange Postecoglou. 

As we enter the final two weeks of the summer transfer window, Celtic and clubs around the country are still dipping into the market to further strengthen their squads. There will undoubtedly be movement in the transfer market from Celtic in the next 14 days. What players and in what positions though, is uncertain. 

Thank you for reading this article. If you have any thoughts, leave a comment down below or contact me on Twitter @Josh_Footblog.