Celtic Transfers 2024

The sad thing is it’s inevitable that it’s going to happen.

 

It’s the “quality over quantity” being wheeled out at the start of every window. We do neither.

 

Brendan has as good as said he will be leaving also

 

Have to disagree there, to be honest.

Schmeichel is a quality signing. Yes, he's older but he's a better goalkeeper and far better suited to our system than Hart ever was. I loved Joe Hart too.

Sinisalo is learning off Schmeichel, to eventually become number 1, either next year or in 2026. It's a good decision by the club to bring in a young, highly rated goalkeeper. He's an upgrade on Siegrist, no doubt about it.

Bernardo is a very good option to have in the squad. He's definitely an upgrade on someone like Turnbull.

Idah is definite quality. He needs to brush up on some things but he's a very very good signing who will only get better and he is a far better option than Oh was.

We won't get better than O'Riley. I think that's a given but if we sign someone like Engels or Bogusz, it's a very good signing and a signing of quality.

 

It's a player who is currently performing very well for one of the better teams, if not the best team, in the MLS. They're going to absolutely romp that Western Conference and will likely be in with a big shout of winning the play offs.

I get it, he's had a real major breakthrough this year but if he continued on the same trajectory now, he would be out of our budget likely at the end of their season in December, never mind next year. He'll likely finish this season with 20+ goals and 10+ assists if he was to stay.

We always talk about getting players in before they get out of reach or out of budget and now we look to be doing that, we're not happy about it.

If we hadn't even been linked with Engels, no one would have batted an eyelid over not signing him. He looks good and, ideally, we would be taking him on too but let's not pretend like he isn't a project. He started less than half of the games he played last season.

I still think we could sign one of Bogusz/Engels AND Tessman and I think we should. Tessman seems a far more disciplined, defensive minded midfielder who seems to be able to do quite a lot in the middle of the park. I'm still hopeful that the two we are looking to bring in will include Tessman.

 

Yes, he was. He performed quite well for them. You can't really use that as a stick to beat the league with, though. Our own right back came from that league, a midtable team too, and has performed very well.

Look, I understand. Folk are raging and I get it. You've now crossed that line too, so the likelihood is the club are going to have a hard job pleasing fans and they have no one to blame but themselves. I'm certainly not going to defend them, although I do believe the club will sign the players the manager wants/needs. I still trust Rodgers to get what he wants.

 

Schmeichal I 100% agree with. Sinisalo can hardly be described as quality even though I’m not going to bash that signing as it makes sense.

Bernardo shouldn’t be a replacement for O’Riley, I like him but it should’ve been Bernardo plus one other.

Idah likewise, we spent a lot of money to get him in but it makes sense.

The issue is these aren’t new faces, it’s guys who were here last season and whilst Idah’s contribution from January onwards can’t be sniffed at, Bernardo had an excellent couple months but outwith that wasn’t able to nail down a spot in the team.

I also don’t think Idah has been signed as a replacement for Oh, Rodgers has alluded to having 2 “first choice” strikers, we’ll get by on that front with Maeda filling in but then that leaves us short of quality out wide if he has to. I also wouldn’t be shocked at all if Kyogo is to go now given the rumours.

We’ve got 11 days left but if the window closes without having signed a left back who can at least compete with Taylor (ideally an improvement) and a centre half who is better than scales, Welsh or Nawrocki then it’s a complete and utter failure.

It’s not exactly asking for much and we hardly have to empty the bank account for that to happen, it’s just the board being too interested in the business side of things (which is their job in fairness) and neglecting what’s happening on the pitch.

We obviously have a squad more than good enough to wipe the floor domestically but for once I wish we’d set our sights a bit higher than that. A decent champions league campaign would all but bury the Huns but yet again we’re going in with more than one hand tied behind our backs because we’ve failed to address key areas of the pitch which are painfully in need of strengthening.

 

This transfer window is stressing me out. More outgoing links than incoming and just 9 days remaining. I have this glimmer of hope we can come out stronger but we have been let down too often by the board/recruitment team.

 

My worry now is we seem to be in panic mode with MOR going and speculation over Kyogo. We struggle with 1 deal at a time how will we manage replacements for these players along with the positions we have needed for over a year now??

 

I am praying for the Happy Clappers.

 

We're an actual * disgrace. We've had every opportunity to bury our rivals and become competitive in Europe and we * it everytime.

It's sickening that we need the huns to beat us at something for us to have a good window.

 

Quality is determined where they are within the squad. So, when you look at Sinisalo, who isn't a "quality signing" by definition but he enhances the quality of the squad. You're taking out a player like Siegrist, who was desperate to leave, didn't want to be here and by all accounts, wasn't very good and you've replaced him with a very highly rated, young goalkeeper who's learning off another quality goalkeeper in Schmeichel, with the view of taking over the number 1 position either next year or the year after.

Schmiechel is a better goalkeeper than Hart. Sinisalo is a better option to have in the squad than Siegrist so it's an upgrade on what we had before. You're fixating on the word 'quality' and expecting every signing we make to be a first teamer. That's never going to happen. Sometimes we need to plan for the future and that's what we have done in the goalkeeping department.

I don't think I said that Bernardo would be a replacement for O'Riley. I clearly said that Bernardo makes the squad better. Again, he's a far better option to come off the bench than someone like Turnbull and from an attacking sense, someone like Iwata. He makes the squad better. Not necessarily the starting 11 but the overall squad. Idah, same situation. Rodgers wanted Idah brought in. I know he said that he sees himself having two number 1 strikers but that's unlikely. We play one striker up front and as it stands, Kyogo is the number 1. Will Idah be favoured after he's up to speed? Potentially but again, he makes the squad stronger than it was.

Having a strong squad isn't just about getting good players in. It's about getting * players out and that's where we are faltering at the minute. Personally, I believe that's the main reason why we haven't upgraded at centre back and on the wings, because we have * in the squad, clogging up the wage bill. You look at the centre back situation, a genuine first team starter in CCV, a couple of decent back up options in Scales and Nawrocki and 3 players there who really should be moved on in Kobayashi(never making it here), Lagerbielke(not suited to our style of play) and Welsh(not good enough and should be trying to get first team football somewhere, at his age). That's 3 players we need to move on, from one position, to bring in a better player, who enhances the first team and in turn, makes your bench better. Upgrading the overallsquad.

Rodgers has always said he likes to work with a group of 23-25 players. How would that look? 2xGK, 2xLB, 4xCB, 2xRB, 2xDM, 4xCM, 2xLW, 2xRW, 2xST, plus 2 versatile players who can play in a variety of different positions. Possibly a defensive versatile option and an attacking versatile option. We have a completely bloated squad, stacked with pish that we can't get off the books because they're on too high wages for teams to buy/loan. So, until players leave, I think we will hold off on making signings.

 

I honestly don't think its the case that we * it I just don't think there is any appetite to do it for some reason. Ive maintained the some opinion all summer if we weren't willing to back the manager last summer then why would we this summer. The board will always be happy to be a nod ahead of Rangers

 

Insurance policy at the ready....

 

It's not the recruitment structure that needs upgrading. Well, it does but it needs to be in line with a big change in the footballing structure within the club. We should have a Director of Football and a Chief Scout/Head of Recruitment role.

 

Think it would have the opposite effect tbh. If we make a * of this window then they come out at the end and say we have now restructured the recruitment team people would lose their * even more and be like why wasn't this done in April May time.

 

Should have been done already. Mark Lawwell left nearly 6 months ago.

What have they been doing in that time? It's a disgrace.