Celtic Still Making Same Costly Transfer Mistakes
For as long as I can remember I’ve been warning Celtic that they need to try and bring in more players earlier in the summer transfer window.
A few months ago Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers stated that the Hoops were willing to break their £6m transfer record if the right calibre of player was available.
But at the moment the only new recruits have been talented young midfielders Kundai Benyu, Oliver Ntcham and Irish winger Jonny Hayes.
French under-21 man Ntcham will no doubt see plenty of first team football this term and Rodgers will hope he can add vision and craft to the Celtic midfield. Hayes clearly has the ability to be a top performer in Scotland’s top flight. If Benyu manages to get regular minutes for the first team in this campaign then that’s a bonus, I think he’s one for the future.
But the Scottish Premiership champions always needed to bring in a new striker this summer. That need was glaringly obvious for all to see as Celtic failed to score in their goalless draw with Rosenborg at Celtic Park in their recent Champions League qualifier.
Last season’s top scorer Moussa Dembele is out with a hamstring injury and isn’t expected back until September. There’s also a distinct possibility that the French forward could be sold during this window, with top European sides keeping tabs on the £30m rated man.
Scotland international striker Leigh Griffiths missed the midweek clash against the Norwegian champions as he was serving a ban. But the prolific frontman is also suffering from a calf problem and is facing a battle to be ready in time for the return leg in Trondheim.
There isn’t any other out and out striker in the first team squad.
At seventeen years of age, Jack Aitchison clearly has talent but isn’t ready for the rigours of Champions League football.
You have Thomas Rogic who can play as a false nine but does he offer enough of a threat in that role? I’m not so sure.
Scott Sinclair, has in the past played through the middle but be in no doubt he’s much more suited to a wide role.
Qualification for the Champions League group stages is fast becoming the main target for Celtic. Yes last season’s unbeaten domestic run on their way to the treble was an amazing feat but it will be slightly tainted if the Hoops fall at an early hurdle in Europe’s elite competition. It will devastate Rodgers, who wants to break into the last 16 of the Champions League not just reach the group stages.
It seems as if the Celtic manager has fallen into line with the Celtic board and allowed them to dictate the transfer process.
In the past, Celtic have tried to do most of their business after the final qualification round. If they fail to qualify then they generally spend less and sell a major star. It’s fast becoming a transfer template.
I can’t believe they haven’t speculated this summer and backed their manager more. This plodding nature in the market place has once again endangered their immediate European future.
Now I know this year’s summer transfer window has been crazy, with top European sides splashing ridiculous amounts of cash. Celtic can’t compete with them but I cannot believe that the Hoops can’t bring in a decent striker who could compete for a place in the team.
Louis Moult has done well at Motherwell in the last two seasons. In total he’s scored thirty-eight goals in seventy-eight appearances for the Steelmen. That’s almost identical to Griffiths record at Hibs before he moved to Parkhead in 2014.
Listen Celtic have a great scouting network and they have a proven track record when it comes to finding good players and enhancing the squad. I’m sure they’ve earmarked potential strikers but the club’s board need to loosen the purse-strings and make offers for a new forward.
Even then it might be too late if Celtic can’t get past Rosenborg next week. If they go out of the Champions League in Norway then the board will once again come under attack from the club’s fans and it will be hard for them to justify their transfer record this summer thus far!
Posted on July 28th, 2017 by scott
Filed under: Article
i could not agree more in the seasons to come it will be even harder to qualify for the cl
We already have two strikers fighting for one place. It is unfortunate both unavailable at same time but that’s football. Your article may have made more stable if you had been talking about the centre half position, where we are at least one short.
I think they do need another CB, that’s also obvious.
Not sure two strikers is enough for a full season, especially if you qualify for the CL. You could easily play two up top at home in certain league games.
Why don’t all you f. armchair managers leave it to the guy who’s in charge. Or maybe your only trying to help him?
Don’t necessarily agree on the need to buy another striker but Celtic definitely need a new winger. James Forrest is simply not consistent enough and the Rosenborg game showed how badly Celtic miss Patrick Roberts’s creativity. Johnny Hayes will be a good squad player but he’s not in the same category as Roberts and Sinclair. Was hoping Celtic would spend on a top winger this summer but it has yet to happen.
Frankie – it’s a blog. So it’s just my opinion.
Tom R – Get the feeling that they still hope to get Roberts back for another season.
BR has now openly said, he doesnt need or want 3 good strikers, not in Scotland, cause he doesnt need it and it only creates imbalance. BR has had an amazing first season and seems like the best thing to happen to Celtic in years. HOWEVER, and this is the first time I have had any doubts about the Manager, his latest comments sound like he is falling into line with the Boards philosophy. In any aspect of life you need be organised disciplined and positive. BR has proved he is a perfectionist so I simply dont believe he doesnt want another striker. There is zero logic to this for a few reason. 1.He already has more than THREE strikers!!!! If he has no intention of playing Nadir Cifti or any of the young boys, then either get rid of ALL excess strikers beyond the limit of two or BUY a fucking decent striker who can use IF required beyond his favourite two. So there is currently no truth in “its all about the BALANCE of the team”. Bollocks! 2. We have an excess of MF players, which BR has just added to. Why is it ok to have second. third choice MFs sitting on the bench but not strikers? 3. BR knows there is a possibilty that MD will not be here in the next year or two, maybe even gone this year. SO where is the forwarded planning?? Its all very simple the Board refuse to do any business until the outcome of the qualifiers. BR is lying to protect the board. First he said better players become available later in the window as his reason for few additions. Now he is deflecting attention from the board again by saying he doesnt actually need an third striker when its fucking pretty obvious that is utter bullshit. Top all this double talk off, we have an internal war going on between the GB, who are our most loyal fans, and the Board who have loyalty to noone but the £££. Those word from BR that he did not need a 3rd striker in Scotland have broke my heart cause I thought this a new era.
I watched the BR presser and thought he was trying to cover his back by saying they didn’t need three ‘good’ strikers. Was that him saying they’ll get a back-up?
I also thought about MON’s team during the UEFA Cup run and remember the squad had Larsson, Hartson & Sutton. Then you had Maloney and Fernandez also as back-ups for the squad.
In 2012/13 when they reached CL last 16 they had 4 or 5 strikers in the squad.
Then you factor in the fact that BR has had issues with Griffiths last term & could lose Dembele at any time. It just seems odd not to have more than two.