Celtic Transfers 2024

From march Sales (inc addons) amounting to around £59m purchaes amounting too £32m added £27m to the cash in the bank. We should have invested a bit more for me another £15m was easily investable. Basically what we will get for Matt we spent! But it's a 7/10 lot of dead wood out the door. Satisfying but could have been better.

 

As long as there’s no injuries I think we’ll be alright mate. Kuhn and maeda seem to be on top form, kyogo looking good and idah yet to return to full fitness. Midfield and going forward I think we’re solid af obviously would’ve rathered another winger meself but think we’ll be fine. Defence was more the worry for me, with Kasper and Valle that’s two defensive positions upgrades for me with potentially a 3rd in trusty. Exciting times ahead

 

Can't help but feel, even with the streamlined squad now, we aren't stronger than last season.
The areas of improvement is the obvious LB option of Valle and surely trusty is better than lager and Kobi.
But Engels, as excited as I am, can't be better than O'Rielly, to begin with.
The keepers for me are keeping up the standards we had before hand, but with a more positive future option.



In the end, assuming no other surprises during the night, it's not enough done for me. In the sense of being actively stronger than last season.

It's a cleaned up squad and a squad that looks like it's ready to be now added to - which buys the club time I think with some fans who will now look forward to what January brings with a recruitment team in place.

Happy with what's came in, but disappointed at how long and how few it seemingly is.


Sent from my M2012K11AG using Tapatalk

 

Yeah thought Sanches would've been ideal as looked like he could play out wide and in midfield if needed but hoping Engels and Hatate can be the creators for us at that level.

Domestically we should be absolutely steamrolling sides with that first XI though.

 

Definitely still missing another winger, CM and CB. But overall I'm happy with our business. We've recruited for a few key positions, pushed the boat on a quality O'Riley replacement, and added depth in midfield. If Trusty turns it on for us it'll end up looking a very good window.

 

What’s missing for me is a powerful defensive midfielder like Diawara and a creative player like Bogusz who could operate across the forward areas. That would have made it a 10/10 window for me.

 

I think we'll only really be able to rate this window in a couple of months. Pretty ruthless clearout. If we do that again in January we'll be well on the way to building a stronger more streamlined squad.

 

Well………

Negatives;

We should have done the Idah and Bernardo deals in June to take the heat off. The nonsense about the new Norwich manager wanting to assess his squad would have instantly been silenced with the right bid at the beginning.

Losing Matt, but we knew we would and we got mega money for a bargain second choice project who just happened to be absolutely sublime. (Can I call this a positive negative?)

Positives;

Schmeichel is a great signing and pretty much been forgotten about due the lack of other signings over the summer. The other keeper will get time to learn and cannot be worse than the other options.

Getting good money for guys who really were on the fringes and, short of a full team out injured, were simply not going to feature.

I know nothing about Valle, so let’s just see. I think Taylor gets a bad rap from the fans, but I also agree that we should always look to improve.

The signings today, a left centre back in Trusty, a club record signing for Engels who is highly thought of and McCowan, whom I suggested we buy for peanuts as a homegrown squad player after I watched him completely control the midfield against Sevco. He’s no superstar, but on a cold winter night away in Dundee or Dingwall he is the type who will put in the graft when conditions might not suit others.



I guess the frustration for many fans will be missing out on another creative midfielder and a striker/wide man and the fact we left it to four weeks into the season as the new guys will need time to integrate.

At least those smug fuds who run things actually got most of the guys Rodgers wanted.

So we go with this squad for four months.

 

As I said earlier, a 6.5/10 window with the potential of going to 7.5/10 if Trusty does well.

Add in a Winger and another CB and it'd be a 9/10, but it was massive step up from last season's window, which was honestly a 2/10 for me at best.

Very impressed with how we handled the GK situation, Engels showed some real ambition for us, and I think McCowan and Valle are smart signings. Getting Bernardo and Idah back was great as well.

Trusty is the only one with question marks, but I honestly think he could be a very shrewd signing if he can show his form prior to Sheffield United, he's the exact type of CB we've been crying out for.

I think a Winger would have made it a perfect window, but I get that the club are giving Palma/Yang until January to show something.

Next steps: get the recruitment and scouting network set up properly.

 

Im content with the business done, preferably we could have moved on Nawrocki who isnt liked or injured all the time and had another guy, i'd also have kept Iwata over Holm as he's more proven to me and trustworthy coming off the bench. Yang also could have been loaned out if we had loaned in a young winger or signed a young guy off Man City or whoever to develop.

 

Made a disastrous window potentially ok at the death
Compared to last season ...

• Lost best, most creative player and replaced with a 20 year old record signing with potential to be just as good, maybe better
• Potentially decent upgrade at CB with Trusty, not CCV level but hopefully better than Scales
• Loan only for 20 year old LB from Barca who was on loan at Levante last season - potential upgrade on Taylor but only for a season.
• Good deal to keep Bernardo, potential first choice - needs to step up a wee bit more
• Overpaid to keep Idah, likely 2nd choice striker but great option - good to see we actually spent the cash
• Squad player from Dundee to boost UCL squad via home grown. Sub at best but useful to bring in to rest others, doesn't improve first XI
• Got rid of a whole load of dead wood for very, very good money - probably biggest achievement from the window

Biggest positive is we have upped the quality and downed the quantity - hope that trend continues.

Spent massively less than we brought it in, so still stockpiling cash - that simply has to change.
As our manager says himself, we must be more organised and get business done far quicker.
Overall 7/10 - but well we'll find out soon enough

 

So we actually increased our bank balance through sales rather than dipping into the millions we already have to strengthen... A tad uderwhelming then.

 

We’ve made around £12-£15 million in this window even with all the players brought in.

Like others have said we should have got a quality winger in, no doubt about it.

The way it was all handled was poor, extremely poor regarding the way we conduct business waiting till the end and turning the Bernardo and Idah loans permanents.

But we got players in at the end. All down to them now regarding doing it on the pitch.

 

It’s a start.

Still think we could and should have been more ambitious and signed another player of the Engels profile, or similar.

Think we’ve made a profit this window despite spending a decent amount? In our financial position, and with the holes in our squad, we easily could have done more to improve the team/squad.

Another CB is needed. If CCV gets injured we’re in trouble. Really need Trusty to pleasantly surprise us.

We’re still very light in attack. Thought we’d have got a winger in on loan with a bit of an X factor, as others have said. Palma and Yang shouldn’t be in the squad.

 

I think he has talent but for me one of the big issues with him is I cannot pin down what type of Centre midfielder he is? He talks about himself as a McGregor type 6, maybe we see him there but to me he looks more effective as a box to box 8.

He is technically very strong, good touch, nice drop of the shoulder and get turned, can pass the ball well. He does need to improve physically for me but overall I think he needs to do more when he gets a chance. That has probably just got harder you would imagine he may not make the CL squad or get on many benches.

Our bench will likely be Sinasalo, Ralston, Scales, Taylor/Valles, Bernardo, McCowan, Palma, Forrest, Idah.

So he will be in with Welsh, Nawrocki, Yang, Bain etc

 

I have to say I hadn’t realised quite how many windows were still open into this week. It is normally just the Saudi and Turkish one still open but a good number of European ones were open to yesterday and Belgium is up to Friday.