As of right now, Celtic's starting eleven is arguably weaker than it was at the tail end of last season, albeit marginally. Aaron Mooy and Jota were pivotal in some of the best performances during the 2022/23 campaign and have both moved onto pastures new, so is there currently any reason to panic?
The six signings made already are not guaranteed to be first team starters by any means (perhaps with the exception of Maik Nawrocki at centre back) and with a wad of cash burning a hole in the hierarchies pockets, some fans are understandably demanding a few marquee signings to wet the appetite for the season ahead.
Ange Postecoglou's spell felt like a bit of an anomaly in the Celtic transfer world with business being conducted at break neck speed. We tapped into previously untapped markets to unearth gems such as Kyogo and Juranovic, whilst also replenishing the squad efficiently during the January transfer windows with players such as Hatate and Maeda still focal to the squad now.
So what's stopping the board pulling the trigger now? When Ange came in, The necessity for signings was incredibly urgent as the Aussie was tasked with a mammoth re build of Celtic's failed ten in a row squad. This time however, we are in a much stronger place with the spine of a treble winning team already in place. Brendan Rodgers may therefore want a little bit of time to assess the squad on his own terms to pin point exactly where we need to strengthen.
To me, the areas we need to bolster are fairly obvious. An upgrade in goal would be ideal with the dream solution being Dinamo Zagreb stopper Dominik Livakovic. The Croatian shot stopper has been linked on social media but the chances of winning the race to sign him may be slightly fanciful.
Anthony Ralston has been an amazing servant for Celtic over the last two years but we cannot go into another Champions league campaign with him as a back up right back. Greg Taylor on the other flank has also been fantastic but as brutal as it sounds we need better in Europe.
In central defence we worryingly still seem to fall apart whenever Cameron Carter Vickers is injured. Granted it was only a friendly and the backline changed regularly, but the game against Yokohama Marinos was utterly chaotic from a defensive standpoint. Having now signed Maik Nawrocki to challenge Carl Starfelt (and perhaps even CCV) the drop off in quality shouldn't be as stark following any injury disruption.
Up front we were far too wasteful in elite level competition. I am not sure a scatter gun approach to our attacking options is really necessary however with last season being the first experience for many of Champions League football. Having had Champions League and World Cup campaigns under his belt, Daizen Maeda is an example of a player growing in confidence in terms of his overall decision making and match sharpness. Celtic will never be in the market for £20-40 million pound strikers so unearthing potential gems and developing them into superstars seems to be the only option.
Maeda's hat trick in the first pre season game of the season was lethal and may have even given Brendan Rodgers food for thought regarding whether his strongest position is out wide or through the middle. If it was to be through the middle, it would be interesting to see where Kyogo would fit in. He is wasted on the wing but may be an interesting option playing just in behind the main striker.
With the Champions League not starting until September, and the first Glasgow derby not being until then either, there is definitely time for the club to assess their options before pulling the trigger on any potential marquee signings. The beauty of having no European qualifiers allows an assessment of the squad to be made before the real problem areas are addressed. There is still of course time for things to change, with Reo Hatate just recently putting his case forwards via the Japanese media for a move to the English Premier League. The midfielder would command a fee in the of region what Jota was let go for so you would hope that contingency plans are in place if our main creative player was to leave.
Whilst the starting eleven does look to be weaker currently (again, very marginally) the overall squad has been bolstered and the players brought in already will be eager to prove themselves as potential first team starters. We still have a relatively young team who are improving and learning all of the time, we may yet see them move up a few gears under the watch of one of the best coaches in Britain. That being said, three or four statement signings would go a long way to breathing fresh life into the support and the environment at the club. If the board are serous about modernising and consistently moving the team forward, this is a pivotal window to do so.
Comments