Chris Sutton has questioned the timing of Celtic’s summer transfer business, despite the club eventually strengthening Martin O’Neill’s squad before the deadline.
Speaking on Sky Sports ahead of the trip to St Mirren, Sutton made clear that he would have preferred Celtic to have had more of their business done before Europe’s biggest early-season test.
He said: “Yeah, well you’ve sort of answered that yourself really in the signings being late on.
“You know, I would always prefer for Celtic to sign players before the biggest game of the season, the Champions League qualifier. They didn’t do that.”
Celtic ultimately missed out on a place in the Champions League and dropped into the Europa League, but Sutton believes the focus now has to move on.
“They’re out of Europe, well, they’re not out of Europe, but out of the Champions League.
“They’ve got to forget about that. They’ve got the Europa League, and domestically it’s really important that Celtic try and win everything.”
O’Neill did get the extra numbers he wanted before the window shut, with Celtic adding depth in several areas after a number of departures.
Sutton acknowledged that the squad needed strengthening and is now keen to see how the new arrivals settle.
“So, they’ve got bodies in the door, which they needed to do because a lot went out, and strength and depth is important.
“So yeah, we’ll see how the new guys get on.”
One player who has already made a big impact is Camilo Duran.
Sutton said he has not been surprised by Duran’s early form.
“I’m not surprised, first and foremost.
“Duran’s got one hell of a left foot and he’s played on the right-hand side with Kasper Hogh playing centrally.
“He’s a brilliant finisher.”
Celtic’s late recruitment will continue to be judged over the coming months, but Duran has already given supporters an early example of what the club’s summer business can deliver.
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