What will be on the agenda for Celtic this summer

After the monumental winning of the Scottish Premiership title in his first season as manager, Ange Postecoglou is set to embark upon the second phase of his Celtic rebuild. 

A lot still has to be done for the Australian to get his squad where he wants it to be yet the appointment of former City Group man Mark Lawwell, who Postecoglou worked with in Japan, as head of recruitment at Celtic has further developed the sense of what’s set to be an intriguing summer at Lennoxtown. 

Moreover in this piece, we’ll be examining what the club will be looking to do in the upcoming transfer window as the Hoops prepare to defend their title and gear up for the Champions League group stages. 

Turning the loan deals into permanent ones

Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota both joined Celtic on one year loans with options to buy on deadline day of the last summer transfer window. 

In their year in Glasgow, the pair made a hugely prevalent impact with Carter-Vickers providing great stability at the back and Jota bringing flair and panache going forward. 

The Portuguese made 40 appearances in the 2021/22 season for Celtic, scoring 13 goals and setting up a further 14, proving he could match his poise with end product. Some of the contributions Jota made throughout the season were crucial. His winner at Pittodrie back in October seemed like a real turning point in Celtic’s season with his vital strikes against Ross County and Rangers post-split firmly putting the Bhoys en route to the title. 

His fellow loanee, Cameron Carter-Vickers, was one of the most consistent performers in the Celtic side throughout the season just past. The American was hard to pass in defence with his stout, physical stature helping him win most duels. Moreover, Carter-Vickers was rather surprisingly superior on the ball, something critical for a centre back in an Ange Postecoglou team. 

Also, the twenty four year old struck up a congenial partnership with Carl Starfelt at the heart of the Celtic defence. The pair  were formidable in the league with the Hoops failing to lose a match in the Scottish Premiership when Carter-Vickers and Starfelt lined up together. 

Clearly, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota were outstanding contributors to Celtic’s success in the most recent season and one would think signing the duo up on permanent deals will be of optimum importance to the club this summer. 

With Champions League football guaranteed for Celtic, the financial constraints of the two deals shouldn’t be a problem and both players provide the potential for further economic prosperity due to their age and probable resale value.

Furthermore, continuity in a football team is pivotal and having two players who made a combined 86 appearances in the previous season on board for the next few will be enormous for Celtic going into 2022/23. 

Clearing of the dead wood 

Every football team has its failed transfers and that has certainly been the case with Celtic in recent seasons. This is proved with a significant number of players who are still at the club today who appear to have no part in the manager’s plans. 

What players am I speaking of here, you may ask. Well, the likes of Ismaila Soro, Albian Ajeti, Boli Bolingoli and Vasilis Barkas  have quite frankly been outcasts for the majority of Ange Postecoglou’s reign as Celtic manager. 

Also in this category is centre back Chris Jullien. The Frenchman has failed to break into the Celtic side this season, racking up just 16 minutes in all competitions as his injury problems have sustained. Jullien is coming into the last year of his contract at Celtic Park and a move away this summer could be the best solution for the ageing twenty nine year old, especially if Cameron Carter-Vickers signs permanently. 

There are also a number of loanees returning to Lennoxtown this summer and although a few of them may have long-term futures at Celtic, players like Jonathan Afolabi and potentially even the duo of Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide, who only signed for the club last summer but not by Ange Postecoglou, could be on the move in this one. 

A high priority for Celtic this summer will be clearing the aforementioned players from the wage bill and freeing up space for new signings who are likely to make more of a contribution going into the new season. Also, fees received from their departures could be used to further add to the strengthening of Ange Postecoglou’s squad ahead of the upcoming campaign. 

The high priority positions 

There are a number of areas in the Celtic team that will be prioritised for recruitment this summer. 

They come in the form of defence, midfield and attack and in particular, the profiles the club will be looking at will be as follows - a quality left back who can challenge and potentially start ahead of Greg Taylor, a centre back to bring further depth to the backline, a versatile frontman whose primary position is on the right yet can also operate on the left and finally, two midfielders of contrasting nature who can provide defensive yet creative acumen in the engine room. 

Starting with the former and despite Greg Taylor’s drastic improvement under Ange Postecoglou, left back still appears to be one of the weakest areas in the Celtic squad. 

Postecoglou doesn’t seem to favour Irishman Liam Scales and Boli Bolingoli’s two appearances for the club this season along with his failed loan at FC Ufa in Russia suggest he could make a permanent departure in the summer. 

Undoubtedly, bringing in a left sided full back will be high up on Celtic’s to-do list over the coming months and reported interested in Hammarby man Mohanad Jeahze puts testament to this. 

Another position in the defence Celtic will look to reinforce over the next few months will be centre back. As we spoke of earlier, the signs are there that Chris Jullien will depart the club this summer and thus, bringing in another central defender wouldn’t be a bad proposal, even if it is just to improve overall squad depth. 

Stephen Welsh will most likely remain at Celtic this summer although a left footed back-up option to go along with the twenty two year old would be ideal as this significantly aids in build up play. However, this player shouldn’t expect to get too much game time if Cameron Carter-Vickers joins the club on a permanent basis. Ange Postecoglou has spoke of how he likes continuity in his backline so if a new centre back signs for Celtic, he will need to be content with spending some minutes on the sidelines.  

As well as a centre back, bringing another player to strengthen the frontline could be a wise idea for Celtic this summer. 

Despite the depth the Hoops possess up top and James Forrest’s recent signing of a new deal, the sheer volume of games that will be played between the beginning of August and end of November due to Celtic’s partaking in the Champions League group stages as well as the winter break being rather early than normal due to the World Cup, another forward to rotate in and out of the Celtic attack would be a great addition.  

Even if Jota does sign permanently for the club, Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda are the only other wide men that you would feel fully confident in when starting up top therefore a new player who can operate on either wing amply would be a fantastic acquisition. 

Furthermore, signing two midfielders to add further depth to the middle of the park will be among Ange Postecoglou’s thoughts as the season comes to a close. 

Callum McGregor has done a tremendous job anchoring the Celtic midfield this season however when he is not on the pitch, his presence is certainly missed. Moreover, it was recently confirmed Nir Bitton will depart the club this summer and Ismaila Soro has not lived to up to the potential he showed last season. James McCarthy doesn’t look like a player who is suited to Ange Postecoglou’s play-style and thus, a new holding midfielder would not go a missing. 

Ideally, this player’s primary position would be in the traditional six however they should also be able to operate slightly further forward in a box-to-box role. In terms of profile, a tall, physical player who is not afraid to get involved in the dirty work yet possesses energetic vivacity and is more than capable on the ball would be perfect. 

Along with a defensive midfielder, a more forward-thinking, attack-minded player is now required in Celtic’s midfield after the announcement of Tom Rogic’s departure. Matt O’Riley should not be expected to be the Hoops’ single advanced playmaker and the club’s links to Bayern Munich’s Christopher Scott now make sense. 

In the engine room, we’ve spoke of the holding role and the more advanced, creative one and these are the two which need looked at the most. In my opinion, the third, box-to-box position is settled with David Turnbull, Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and even Callum McGregor all able to adequately operate there. 

Whatever happens at Celtic in the summer transfer window will be engrossing. Players will come and go and the importance of the next few weeks for the 2022/23 season cannot be underestimated. 

Not just high-calibre players are needed but ones who are capable of fitting effectively into Ange Postecoglou’s system which has been so successfully implemented in his maiden year at the club. 

Going into his second, the Greek-Australian will be keen to continue to build upon the foundation he’s already created at Celtic and has even stated his team will be back bigger and better going into the new campaign and will keep to the mantra that ‘We never stop’.