As the transfer window slams shut, I think it is appropriate to offer the board a great degree of praise for the business that they have conducted this summer. “Back the new manager” was the demand made by several supporters in the early stages of the season and I think Dom McKay and his colleagues have done just that. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this transfer window has been the most productive and impressive from the club in many years.
We may have lost some big name players, but it was the correct decision to let them depart as they didn’t want to stay and we managed to attain considerable fees before their contracts expired. Having the negotiation skills to hold out and secure deals worth approximately £18m apiece for Ajer and Edouard, whose obligations to Celtic each had less than a year to run, demonstrates impressive business acumen.
There’s no doubt that the departures of that duo, and the exit of Ryan Christie, signifies a substantial loss of talent among the playing squad. Meanwhile, the team was already weakened by senior figures such as Scott Brown and Moi Elyounoussi heading out the door at the end of last season. However, a massive rebuild was inevitably going to be required if Ange Postecoglou was to be equipped with the talent necessary to mount a credible challenge for the league title and, having maximised profits on enforced sales and shifted a lot of deadwood, the club has been able to finance that reconstruction by raking in circa £50m since the turn of the year.
On the recruitment front, the football and business departments seem to have combined to great effect. Indeed, a number of top quality players, from a range of age demographics and geographical locations have been sourced and secured. It was refreshing to see the fluidity in our approach, focused around deals that make financial and footballing sense rather than sticking to a rigid philosophy.
To exemplify that point, the versatility of Celtic’s approach to signing players was such that we utilised Ange Postecoglou’s first hand knowledge of the J1 League to capture an incredible hidden gem in Kyogo Furuhashi, who looks to be an absolute snip at £4.5m. On the other hand, we went for the tried and tested option of Joe Hart when it came to our search for a goalkeeper.
Kyogo was simply a phenomenal find from a little known league. Arriving at 26 years of age, he is in his prime and offers incredible speed, movement and goalscoring ability. Whereas Joe is in the twilight of his career these days and, aged 34, he brings a tremendous amount of top level experience to the club. The board did not baulk at paying £1m for a player of Hart’s age and didn’t concern themselves with any potential sell on value in that particular deal either.
Both transfers appear to be excellent bits of business, yet Celtic have got some other sensational deals over the line throughout this window too. I think of Josip Juranovic, another seasoned professional – a Croatian international full back – who joins us at the peak of his powers. The fact that we were able to obtain such a renowned player for a fee as small as £2.5m is quite remarkable, and shows that with the right scouting Celtic no longer need to speculate similar amounts on projects (no disrespect to any players who fall into that category or the vision that was being pursued in past deals).
Juranovic was an important signing to sure up the right back area and appeared to reflect a recruitment team that worked in real cohesion with the financial department. Much like the Kyogo and Hart comparison, the Juranovic transfer was contrasted by the signature of a teenage winger, who caught the eye whilst playing for an unfancied Israeli club. Liel Abada is of course the man in question and his signature from Maccabi Petah Tikva looks like a feat of the scouting system, whose judgement the board suitably trusted to commit £3.5m towards. Abada has scored goals, shown blistering pace and really looks to be an enhancement to the starting 11.
In terms of a more expensive deal, Starfelt came from a well known club and with international caps to his name. He’s made a shaky start, but could yet prove to be a success, whilst great comfort can be taken from the late arrival of Carter-Vickers, who further strengthens the centre of defence. The fact that Celtic have the option to buy the player at the end of the season makes the deal (potentially) a long term one and indicates another move in the right direction.
Jota is another loan to buy signing, a direct replacement for Ryan Christie on the left wing and with exciting pedigree. I don’t claim to know a lot about the player, but he is valued above £6m and arrives from Benfica so there are high hopes that he can provide speed and spark on the left hand side. It is definitely an ambitious move for a highly rated young talent, which again could prove fruitful beyond this campaign.
Besides Kyogo Furuhashi, potentially the best deal we have completed could be the permanent signing of Giorgios Giakoumakis. It is absolutely outstanding that Celtic have managed to sign the top goalscorer in the Eredivise, but even more impressive when the player cost as little as £2.5m. Everyone involved in the transfer should be commended and it is another impressive example of the club’s newfound ability to find proven players that are available at such a cheap price. Giorgios scored 26 goals in the Dutch top flight last season, doing so with relegated club VVV-Venlo. A powerful striker, who is good in the air, he gives Ange Postecoglou a different option and is an extremely exciting addition.
Alongside ready made recruits, the club have still added squad depth and planned for the future by snapping up Scales, Shaw, Uroghide and Lawal for nominal fees. Each have a good reputation, may have an important part to play as the season progresses, and appear to have massive potential to develop into top first team players.
The willingness from the hierarchy to allow the football staff to identify players who can improve the team, regardless of whether they are young, in their prime or at the tail end of their careers, and without question of whether they’ve come from the English Premiership or League of Ireland, seems to have paid off. Indeed, every deal is unique and brings different benefits to the club. Our business has reflected a wide variety of transfer fees and demography, with some signings bringing experience, some being brought in with an eye on the future and others potentially providing excellent sell on value.
To get 13 deals over the line was impressive. We now have strong players in each position, and I dare say we look much stronger in real terms than we did at the end of last season. If I were being greedy, I would have liked to have seen a high calibre left back getting signed, but we do have adequate options in Taylor and Montgomery, which will get us through until January. As far for the suggestion (made by many supporters) that we are light in central midfield, I actually think we are okay in that area. Granted, you can never have enough good players, but we have replaced Ntcham and Brown with McCarthy (on a shrewd free transfer) and Shaw (who comes very highly rated and has not yet had a chance to play); whilst Soro, McGregor, Rogic and Turnbull are all prominent players operating in that area of the pitch.
Given the magnitude of the rebuild that was required at the beginning of the summer, this window has been fantastic. Hopefully Ange can mould the team to suit his attacking philosophy and start clawing back ground in the title race. With one or two bonus additions in January, we could become a real force.
Departures:
Kenny, Elyounoussi, Laxalt, Duffy (all end of loans); Brown, Ntcham (both released); O’Connor, Doohan, Robertson, Afolabi, Griffiths (loaned out); Klimala, Hjelde, Shved, Hendry, Bayo, Christie, Ajer, Edouard (sold).
Arrivals:
Carter-Vickers, Jota (both loaned in with option to buy); McCarthy (free transfer); Hart, Urhoghide, Shaw, Scales, Lawal, Juranovic, Furuhashi, Giakoumakis, Abada, Starfelt (purchased).