Celtic endured a relatively quiet January window that yielded just two incomings despite an expectation that more could’ve arrived.
Nicolas Kuhn was first in line to be announced at Parkhead mid-way through January, joining the club on a £3 million deal from Austrian giants Rapid Vienna.
Hoops supporters had to wait until an hour before the deadline to receive confirmation of their only other arrival, with Adam Idah completing a last-gasp loan move to the Scottish Premiership champions.
Brendan Rodgers had stated that Celtic came close to bringing in some additional squad depth; however, there were some deals that the club ‘couldn’t get quite over the line’ in the end.
Now, all focus will turn towards the ongoing fight to bring a third successive league title to Glasgow’s east end following a window that has provoked much discussion among supporters over the current trajectory of the Bhoys.
Chris Sutton doesn’t hold back in honest Celtic assessment
Celtic icon Chris Sutton is never one to mince his words, and the same can be applied to his assessment of his old side’s recruitment and what that may mean for their title hopes.
Writing in his column for The Daily Record, the 50-year-old expressed confusion at the divergence in transfer approach between Rodgers’ tenure and old boss Ange Postecoglou’s time in Glasgow
Sutton explained: “We never heard a peep about struggling to bring in signings in the last couple of seasons under Ange Postecoglou. There was no talk about how hard it was improving the quality or recruiting first-team ready players.
“Celtic just went and did it, whether it was Joe Hart, Kyogo, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota, Josip Juranovic, Daizen Maeda, Matt O’Riley or any other of the results starters. But somehow, now it’s become Mission Impossible. It just doesn’t make sense.”
He later added: “I just can’t fathom how they have got to this point. Make no mistake, they are gambling with the title here, regardless of how you look at the business Rangers have done.”
Chris Sutton makes some valid points on Celtic’s transfer strategy
It is hard to disagree with the general sentiment that Sutton has put forward and it is hard to tell whether the squad is stronger or weaker than when the month of January commenced.
Alongside the lack of incomings, Celtic sold David Turnbull without acting to replace the goal contribution that he provided, even if he wasn’t exactly the flavour of the month with everyone.
Only time will tell regarding what the mid-season window could mean for the Hoops’ title hopes, with the focus now on sustaining momentum between now and the end of the campaign.
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