As we slowly come towards the end of the October international break and real domestic football gets set for a return, there has already been a lot of reflection on how Celtic and manager Brendan Rodgers have started the 2025/26 season.
We all know our 52 year old gaffer has again been disappointed with the backing that he received from our board during the summer transfer window, and we all know that this has been made markedly worse given the lucrative additional riches that our run to the Champions League Play Off stage last season delivered to our coffers. It should have ensured we took some of the top prizes available on live casino table games online as we looked to reinvest those sums back into the squad, to double down on at least reaching the same stage, and level of success, again.
But there are issues with our performances and the levels the first team squad are showing in games, there are doubts about which players were chosen by Rodgers and which were chosen by the club irrespective of his thoughts and the fans themselves are directly showing their disappointment and frustration right now. Whilst there can be some debate on those topics, there is no debating our shambolic exit from the CL into the Europa League (not least we are still to win a game in that competition), and five wins and two draws from seven Scottish Premiership matches, where we are already two points off top spot and chasing – well, it is just not the typical Celtic way and there is a sense that things have quickly gone drastically wrong.
Some fans will have seen that turn coming, others will not get it after last season’s successes, but if things are quickly addressed then the campaign is far from over, and it appears that at least someone at the club has begun planning for next season as we are now being linked with an interesting move for 29 year old Nottingham Forest goalkeeper, Angus Gunn.
With Kasper Schmeichel’s future in doubt with him now being 38 years of age, and as of right now no new short term deal agreed with the reliable performer, it seems that Rodgers does not yet overly trust the others between the sticks. The English Premier League player could be an interesting proposal as he came through Manchester City’s youth ranks, and made a very big impression with Norwich City during a loan spell back in the 2017/18 campaign where he made 51 appearances. Southampton then quickly snapped him up for £10 million and although that spell did not work out as many thoughts, his return to Norwich saw him make well over 100 appearances.
He is kicking his heels at the City Ground right now, and given his very early promise Celtic Park could be a very easy sell to make him as he looks to re-establish himself as a regular number one and fully get his career back on track. Some outlet’s are citing sources close to the player as being very interested in making the move north of the border to us, and with 18 caps for Scotland to his name, he would undoubtedly like to get his international place back on a far more regular basis with potential World Cup aspirations to consider.
There may be something in this, or nothing at all, but he would certainly suit the kind of profile of keeper (and experience) we have tended to go for in recent years.
