Celtic’s Transfer Window – The Big Verdict

It was a tall order at the start of the summer – we didn’t even have a manager as the Euros got underway.

Eddie Howe is a name Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond would like to forget. Their pursuit of the Englishman came to a spectacular end – leaving Celtic up a certain creek.

To the club’s credit, as soon as the Eddie Howe story broke – Ange Postecoglou was named as the front runner for the job and he was announced a week or so later. Yes, I and many fans went from being excited about Eddie Howes Celtic revolution to wondering who this Ange guy was.

It’s safe to say we’ve all had a crash course in the Celtic manager, and for the most part, Celtic fans are delighted to have him as the manager. Ange has won nothing yet, but he ticks a lot of the boxes we need in a manager.

Peter Lawwell stepped down as the Chief Exec at the start of July and it was then up to both Ange and Dominic McKay to oversee a massive turnaround in players. Unlike many other windows where we’ve focused on projects and loan signings – these deals had to be for first team ready players.

So how did we do?

The sheer numbers on the graphic above are huge.

Edouard, Christie and Ajer leaving affect us so much on the field. Scott brown’s exit was right but his influence in the dressing room would have been missed at the start of the season.

Bhoys like Callum McGregor will come back from international duty and see a whole new dressing room in front of them.

It took until the last day of the transfer window for Celtic to utilise the loan market; bringing in Jota and Carter-Vickers. Vitally though, we have an option to buy on both players at the end of their deals. Both are coming in to play games right now and are not seen as any sort of project.

Kyogo

We all know what Kyogo can do and we all want to see him play as a lone striker after being wasted at Ibrox. Even then, out on the left, Kyogo created a fantastic chance for Edouard who fluffed it. The Japanese star looks like a bargain buy at this point.

Abada

Celtic’s track record of bringing in young players like Abada and then leaving them languishing on the bench for long periods of time has been frustrating. Ange’s policy is clear; if you’re good enough to get into the team then age doesn’t matter. Neil Lennon would have kept Abada at bay if he was still the manager.

Ange has thrown him in and over the piece, he’s been brilliant. The winger was quiet at Ibrox but everything seemed to come down Celtic’s left side.

Hart

It wouldn’t have taken much to be an upgrade on what Celtic had in goals before this season. Hart has come in and already made saves I believe have got us into the Europa League.

Yes, he had a nightmare against Alkmaar for their first goal but his pros outweigh his cons. Hart is also a winner and a veteran of the game – it’s clear he’s had a big impact on the dressing room and is a good unofficial deputy to Callum McGregor.

Juranovic

We’ve seen him in one game, out of position but he did well at Ibrox despite the narrow defeat. What we’ve seen of the Croatian international for Legia has us excited. He should timeshare the right back role with Anthony Ralston.

McCarthy

Miles off the pace in the games he’s played so far. Taken out of the squad altogether, I think it might be nearing the end of the year before we get the benefit of this signing if James can stay fit.

Giakourmakis

The Greek star comes in after his one major goal scoring season and will be trying to make sure that wasn’t a fluke. There won’t be a clamour for the striker to start games straight away with Kyogo there. He offers us a physical and aerial presence we didn’t have until now. Having the likes of Jota and Abada feeding him, he could get among the goals when he gets his chance.

Scales

A low risk, low budget punt, having spoken with several Shamrock Rovers supporters – they seem to think he’ll be a success at the club. Scales can play left back or left centre-back. Will he get the chance straight away? That’s the big question.

Urhoghide

Doesn’t look up to scratch at the minute and has a few people at Lennoxtown wondering why we signed him. I think the word is ‘raw’. I wouldn’t expect to see much of the defender this season.

Starfelt

He’s made a few mistakes already which is hardly ideal, but he has done well to bounce back from them. Carl has put in some solid performances but a misplaced pass now has a certain group of Celtic supporters on his back. Apparently, you have to be perfect from the start not to be mercilessly hounded. He needs to settle and cut out some silly mistakes but there’s a player in him.

Shaw

Coming in from Sheffield Wednesday, the midfielder hasn’t had much competitive minutes yet. This could change in the coming months. Celtic have a lot of games and playing at a high intensity means the Hoops have to utilise the squad. Liam was not an Ange signing and it could go against him if the manager doesn’t think he’s capable enough.

Jota and Carter-Vickers

Jota will come in and likely play on the left. The winger has a point to prove after not living up to his early promise. Reports claim his decision making can be suspect, especially when releasing the ball to his teammates – hopefully, Ange can work his magic.

Carter-Vickers is a solid addition and could find himself in the team before too long. Will Carl Starfelt or Stephen Welsh be dropped to facilitate the American international?

All in all, it’s been a productive window. We can’t say for certain if we’re stronger or not but I would like to think we have hungrier players willing to go that extra mile for the team. A lot of the players who left the club this summer have won a lot and some times that breeds complacency.