Celtic’s January window will be crucial, regardless of whether Wilfried Nancy is in charge or not.
But they are unlikely to be the only team in Scotland for whom this is the case, as Hearts and Rangers look to aid their own pushes for the title.
Given how Russell Martin started at Ibrox, it would’ve seemed almost unthinkable that just three points would separate them and Celtic by mid-December – but it’s been quite a crazy season.
As Nancy desperately seeks to end his extraordinary run of four defeats in four games, the January window is edging closer.
And with it will come a Glasgow Derby at Celtic Park on the 3rd.
How many more games are you going to give Wilfried Nancy?
Danny Rohl’s Glasgow Derby transfer vow sends a message to Celtic
A small silver lining for Celtic’s drop in squad quality this season has been that it’s even worse across the city.
But the Hoops have failed to beat Rangers in 90 minutes in both of their meetings this season. They should be light-years ahead of Danny Rohl’s side, but they aren’t.
READ MORE: Chris Sutton stands by infamous ‘lying down’ comment in heated Celtic-Rangers debate
And while Celtic aptly prepare for the January window with Paul Tisdale on holiday, Rohl has confirmed the stark expectations he has for his own window.
In fact, he told the media that he wants new signings in before the game at Celtic Park. He said: “Yeah, the wishes are to get a lot of players in on the 1st of January.
“But I think in this window will be about timing, that’s the first part, and the second thing is preparation. We’re trying to prepare some things now.
“We speak to each other, we have a good communication at the moment. I speak with players at the moment, I’ve had some conversations. All the things what we have to do and then let’s see how quickly we can move forward.
“All the players, they’ll come and help us soon. It’s good to have them here. Sometimes you have players, maybe they have not the rhythm from playing every week.
“Maybe they have some minutes on the bench and they need also some couple of minutes to come into the team. This is my experience, but all in all we are looking forward. And for this we try to do our best.
“We’ve had talks with agents, with maybe potential players, ongoing conversations, but I think this is normal.
This is a normal process. But the most important key is that I have a good conversation with my recruitment team and with my guys around me. Then we’ll make sure that we find the right players.”
This is not the type of messaging that we are used to from Celtic, and whilst no-one knows if Rangers’ business will be quick (or indeed successful), it absolutely cannot be met with inaction.
The 49ers would kill for the financial flexibility that the Hoops have. With the team in such a state, being outspent by rivals shouldn’t be an option.
But even more important than what you spend is how you spend it – Tony Bloom’s Hearts leading the league tells you everything you need to know about that.
How many signings do Celtic need in January?
Celtic’s summer transfer business
In losing Matt O’Riley, Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn in three consecutive windows, Celtic’s team has been drained of a devastating number of goals.
Their response to this in the summer – the signings of Sebastian Tounekti, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Benjamin Nygren and Kelechi Iheanacho – has signalled a stark drop-off in efficiency.
The myth that good signings can’t be made in the January window has been dispelled by Kuhn, Matt O’Riley and Alistair Johnston in recent years. It doesn’t take long to find out from an agent whether a player is available or not.
And if the Celtic board drag the window with failed low-ball attempts while their rivals strengthen, they deserve all the results that will come to them.
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