Celtic's biggest transfer window priority this summer is already clear

By David Walton

April 13, 2022

There is plenty on Celtic’s plate between now and then, but already it’s become clear what the club’s main transfer priority is this summer.

Work will undoubtedly be going into Celtic’s close-season plans even at this early stage. As much as all focus is on the here and now with a title and cup on the agenda, it won’t be long before that summer transfer window comes around again.

There’s no denying Ange will be eyeing up some tweaks here and there. We won’t go through the window without adding to the squad. Especially if we get rid of some of the deadwood that’s been around long enough. Due to that, there will be a need to replace them with more reliable contributors before next season.

However, if you offered many Celtic fans the chance to exit the summer window with the same squad they entered with, chances are many would bite the hand off. And that means that the main goal when the window opens is to ensure we keep this likely title-winning squad together for a crack at the UEFA Champions League.

Granted, that will require a couple of signings to come in the door in any case. Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers are scheduled to head back to Benfica and Spurs respectively. But both men appear to be affordable, and even if takes us well past the £10m mark, bringing them back will be key to the squad’s consistency for next season.

Meanwhile, Celtic fans have already had to deal with stories linking some of their top stars away. It took 3 months for Kyogo to be linked with an EPL club [Calciomercato]. Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano stated that Leicester were interested in Josip Juranovic back in February.

Celtic will have to resist big-money temptations this summer

It doesn’t matter if we believe these stories or not. The fact is it’s speculation we’re going to have to deal with all throughout the summer. Just because players have only been here for a year doesn’t mean they’re glued to the club. We still need to do our best to resist any interest and ensure the players are fully focused on a crack at the UEFA Champions League. It’s down to Chief Executive Michael Nicholson to back the manager here, as he did back in January with the additional signings.

Given the incredible turnaround at Parkhead, vultures will be sniffing. The job done by Ange and the sheer scale of the power shift in Glasgow won’t go unnoticed. Particularly when it comes to clubs down south.

But Celtic are in no position where they need to sell. Not if Champions League money comes into the coffers. And that should be enough to slap hands-off warnings on all of our top stars.

If we go into next season needing to replace one or 2 centre-backs and a couple of wingers for example, it again turns into a rebuilding job. Of course Ange will want to add players, but not to replace his favourites. He’ll want to add to the quality he’s got instead of sourcing to replace it.

It’s going to be an extremely interesting summer that will tell us a lot about Celtic’s true ambition under Ange. Catching Rangers and securing the title was the initial goal and still is. But all eyes will then be on how much further we plan to go on a European scale.

Keeping hold of all of our reliable players who be a big sign of that ambition.

In other news, Daizen Maeda on his favourite Celtic teammate, hobbies, and his reaction to Irn-Bru