Louis Munteanu

It's the minimum needed i think. Don't see us meeting that number unfortunately. Just not that dynamic moving transfers ahead.

 

For me it depends on the quality of the 4. One of those 4 will be a back up left back but if we brought in 3 who were regularly starting I'd say that's okay. If we had two new starting wingers, a starting left back, a starting striker and a starting left back added I would call it passable. It would have been decent had we got in more in earlier, preferably wingers.

 

4???? That's the stuff of dreams right now!

At this stage getting 1 or 2 in that's of a high enough standard would be better than I'm expecting.

 

And we won’t bring in that quality left winger while we have Jota to come back. Maybe a loan. But it’s Maeda and Jota in the squad there, Yang as a back up for both wings just now. RW and striker. I don’t think he’s wanting to move Maeda there permanently, he loves his tracking back too much. Think the fact he’s not moved there at all this season I think anyway, he’s wanting to steer clear of the idea of Maeda being CF

 

Yes, it’s short by at least 2 or 3, imo.

While I’m tempted to agree that I’d take that ‘at this stage’, this is exactly the tactic the board uses. Wait until we’re desperate and will lower our standards.

 

Yes. Also, We absolutely need that right-winger to be left-footed. Look at what we’ve lost with Kühn’s ability to suddenly cut across. I’d also permanently move Nygren to RW as the backup left-footed RW. It’s not at all acceptable to me that Forrest is still the main depth option there. An eventual backup deep down the squad list? Fine. The main guy on the RW if our new RW (presuming we get one) gets injured? No, not for me; certainly not in Europe anyway. I still believe in him domestically.

 

Forrest for me I don’t really have in the ranking of being first, second or whatever choice. He’s in his own category, he absolutely can’t be expected to play every game and we need a first choice.

But he has a wealth of experience to call upon and that’s there to be used when needed, whether there’s a guy ahead in the pecking order or not. He brings something we can’t buy. He knows exactly what’s needed for us, in any situation and he has the ability to do what we need.

If he’s fit and outshining the guys who are supposed to be ahead of him then yes play him, he shifted Kuhn deservedly last season.

 

For me you'd still have 3 wingers in front of Yang and 4 when Jota comes back. I'm fine with that.

 

Yeah, but there’s a limit to that. We can’t be leaving ourselves going into Europe with him as our best option.
We need a first and second choice ahead of him, as you acknowledge yourself.

 

You’d honestly be ‘fine’ with going through the majority of a CL or EL group stage one injury away from Yang being our main wide attacking option off the bench?

 

I would.

 

Yeah I would. It wouldn't be ideal but if we brought in 3, the one brought in to be 4th choice and 5th when Jota is back would likely be a bit * anyway. Top players aren't coming here to sit it out on the Celtic bench.

 

Yang should be exactly our 7th winger option behind some 1st choice * we should have signed weeks ago, Maeda, Jota, Forrest, a promising kid on loan with an option to buy and some rando from the academy who will only ever play 10 minutes for us in a cup match against Dumbarton when we’re 5 nil up.

 

Definitely can’t he’s 34 and always picked up injuries in his career.

But in a lot of situations he is definitely the best option. Experience is something that is discounted a bit due to the buzz for young exciting players but it’s vital. And the last couple of seasons think Forrest has shown that, particularly Rodgers first back his return for the run in was a massive reason we won the league