The free agent market can be tricky when you’re trying to build a title-winning squad, and Celtic know that better than anyone.
Players tend to offer experience, but may be past their best. They may not command a transfer fee, but they often demand extortionate wages.
For Brendan Rodgers and Celtic, the market has already provided Kieran Tierney and Ross Doohan this summer, adding some much-needed home-grown numbers to the squad.
Eventually, after a disappointing Transfer Deadline Day, the club had to go to the bargain bin again in order to sign Kelechi Iheanacho – making him their third free signing of the summer.
New Celtic target Emmanuel Dennis could possibly join him in yet another free transfer, if reports are to be believed – so are free transfers to be trusted?
The truthful answer is, it depends on who it is. So here are five free agent signings from the past who Hoops fans will have positive memories of.
Five successful Celtic free transfers
Joe Ledley
Having made over 250 appearances for boyhood club Cardiff City, Joe Ledley was a man in demand when he decided to run down his contract and become a free agent in 2010.
Neil Lennon saw off a host of clubs when he secured his signature that summer, one of a number of shrewd additions by the club in that period. Ledley would become an integral member of Lennon’s squad.
Three league titles, a Scottish Cup and a famous goal against Rangers later, Ledley reluctantly left the club to join Crystal Palace in 2014 and eventually picked up over 75 caps for his country.
Mikael Lustig
Mikael Lustig joined Celtic as a versatile defender on the fringes of the Swedish national side. By the time he left, he was one of the most decorated players in the club’s history.
A January signing due to the Swedish league season finishing in winter, Lustig made 273 appearances for Celtic, winning 16 trophies, including the invincible treble in 2016-17.
A likeable character and fan favourite, the peak of his Celtic career was a brilliantly taken goal which sealed a 5-1 win at Ibrox that season – Lustig will go down as one of the heroes of that period for the club.
Aaron Mooy
Aaron Mooy was more than just a catchy chant – he was also a remarkably gifted footballer who proved to be a smart piece of business when signed by Ange Postecoglou in 2022.
It may have proved to be the last season of his career, but what a season it was. Making 42 appearances and scoring seven goals from midfield as the Hoops won the treble, Mooy established himself as a cult hero with his cultured style of play.
After shining in a midfield alongside Reo Hatate, Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley, Mooy retired from football aged 32 that summer, following the departure of Postecoglou.
Craig Gordon
Craig Gordon wasn’t, and still isn’t, every Celtic fan’s cup of tea, but his role in a successful period for the club cannot be denied.
Arriving in 2014 after a hellish period of injuries had halted his career, Gordon rebuilt his career at Celtic. Having been trusted as first-choice by both Ronny Deila and Rodgers, he broke back into the Scotland squad and won the title every year he was in Glasgow.
A drop off in form led to him being displaced by Fraser Forster in 2019 and he would eventually become first-choice at SPFL rivals Hearts – but for a free transfer, Gordon’s time at Celtic Park was an undoubted success.
Charlie Mulgrew
Ledley was not the only successful free signing of 2010 – he was joined in that regard by Charlie Mulgrew, who had left Celtic without a senior appearance four years earlier.
Upon his return, Mulgrew proved his worth as a Celtic player, but it was not until the following year that he became a key first-team player. In the title-winning 2011-12 season, he was named Player of the Year by both Celtic and the SPFA.
Playing in a variety of different positions, Mulgrew eventually became vice-captain and departed with over 200 appearances in 2016.
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