Celtic predicted for £20m January spend by Tam McManus due to Dermot Desmond factor

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Celtic’s January transfer window could well be the most important in recent memory.

After all, the summer one was so bad that Brendan Rodgers ended up leaving.

Rodgers departed amid a wave of Celtic fan protests, and after a chaotic Celtic AGM, new boss Wilfried Nancy seems to have the odds firmly stacked against him.

Instead of sticking with the ‘safe’ option in Martin O’Neill, the Celts have pushed through with the hire of Nancy – and given his distinct brand of football, the squad is probably going to need some help.

And Tam McManus thinks that previous embarrassments will motivate Dermot Desmond to dig into his pocket this winter.

Tam McManus on Celtic’s January transfer window

If the AGM made one thing clear, it’s that the fan unhappiness has not done any harm to the ego of Desmond, or indeed his son.

But the threat of losing the title to Hearts must even be a frightening prospect for the board.

READ MORE: Celtic face competition from Bundesliga and Premier League clubs for Stefan Ortega

McManus, speaking on PLZ’s Football Show, has a feeling that Celtic will invest heavily after being ‘ridiculed’ for the summer.

“I think Celtic will spend big. I think Celtic will spend big money in January, I do.

“Ten, fifteen, twenty million. I think they’ll spend big in money in January because they have to. They’ve been absolutely slaughtered from pillar to post for the summer window.

“Dermot Desmond’s came out with that statement, saying that Brendan Rodgers has been backed with every penny that we’ve brought in. We’ve spent.

“And a lot of that was ridiculed. So I think they’ll spend big money, because they have to. Because it’s no guarantee that they’ll go and win the league with this squad.”

You never get any guarantees with this board – but if the gap with Hearts isn’t any narrower, the fans are unlikely to let them away with another underwhelming window.

Celtic’s most recent January transfer windows

Last January was a chaotic one. Just as we heard the surprise news that Kyogo Furuashi was leaving out of nowhere, we heard that Jota would be returning… Daizen Maeda is reportedly expecting to leave the club this winter, just as Kyogo did.

The season prior, the loan signing of Adam Idah proved to be pivotal in winning the league and Scottish Cup, whilst Nicolas Kuhn returned a major profit for the Hoops within just 18 months.

Giorgos Giakoumakis and Josip Juranovic both left Celtic in January 2024, but were instantly replaced with Hyeon-Gyu Oh and Alistair Johnston.

And lastly, apart from the signings of Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Matt O’Riley, January 2022 was a quiet one…