Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has said the club signing as many as 12 players wasn’t ideal, but much-needed.
In a summer of upheaval at team and board level, Postecoglou was brought in with a considerable job to do. With players like Kristoffer Ajer, Odsonne Edouard, Ryan Christie and more linked with moves, a major overhaul was needed.
With a thin squad last term only getting thinner, Postecoglou and the board had plenty of work to do. Early window signings such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Joe Hart and Liel Abada have made an instant impact.
Plenty more came, and Celtic supporters could see as many as 4 debutants make their Parkhead bow tomorrow.
Reflecting on the window, Postecoglou said [Celtic FC]:
“It’s not as easy as selecting the ones you want and bringing them in. As we found, there was a bit of a challenge. Every deal we made had a lot of work behind it.
“So we brought in 12 in the end, which is probably too many in one window to be fair. But that’s what we needed, we needed to do that. In the end, I’m pretty pleased with the outcome in terms of we know what we’ve got now.
“We know the players who are in and committed for the next period, and we can start working.”
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou and his “too many” comments reflect the transfer job club had to do
Don’t read this as any kind of disappointment from the Celtic boss, by the way. He means that bringing in as many players as the club did can provide challenges. It’s a lot of new faces to integrate in a short window.
He’s right, though, that’s what the club needed. From the youth ranks to the first-team, freshening up the options was a must. Especially with so much turnover, and some key Quadruple Treble and 9-in-a-row names departing.
From the evidence so far, though, it’s been very decent transfer work. The late additions of Giakoumakis, Carter-Vickers, Jota and Scales should provide real squad competition.
Carl Starfelt can only improve, while Joe Hart and Josip Juranovic look like inspired choices. Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide look to be progressing well, and James McCarthy can provide real leadership alongside Callum McGregor.
And of course, there’s Kyogo and Liel Abada. Both have been on fire since joining in the summer. The absence of the Japan striker for the next month represents a significant blow.
But yes, that’s a lot of players to bring in all at once. Postecoglou’s future transfer windows won’t be nearly as active.
And despite all the excitement of this summer, that’s for the best long-term.
Read more: Report: Celtic have interest in Millwall midfielder Jed Wallace
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
