We all know that Celtic’s summer transfer business wasn’t popular.
Brendan Rodgers’ demands publicly weren’t met, and in the end, the Hoops had to rely on free transfers to make up the numbers in their squad.
A controversial Celtic statement triggered a wave of fan protests at Kilmarnock and Partick Thistle, and the dispute is still going on almost two months on.
The main gripe of supporters is the Hoops’ huge cash reserves not being adequately invested in the squad. The club were reported to be interested in the likes of Jakob Breum and Kasper Dolberg, but didn’t meet the clubs’ asking prices.
And in the notoriously realistic Football Manager series, they know exactly how the Hoops board operate.
Football Manager’s hilariously realistic Celtic budget
For those unfamiliar, the game simulates football management in a more realistic way than EA FC (formally known as FIFA). Unlike with EA, you cannot control your players – it’s purely down to your tactics.
Your transfer budget relative to the club’s balance is decided by the board. So for those beginning careers at Celtic, there are clear obstacles there.
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Football Manager 2025 was cancelled after significant issues in development of the yearly series.
And in the 2026 edition, which is currently available on early access to users, the Celtic budget makes for a realistic experience.
The club have £84 million in the bank – but your starting transfer budget? £0.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to sell some first-team players if you want to reinvest in the squad. Qualify for the Champions League (where the real Celtic couldn’t) and your budget is still zero.
This is despite the sales of Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah this summer. Incredible stuff.
It isn’t easy to manage Celtic at the best of times, but with no transfer budget, Celtic careers may be more challenging than normal in this year’s game.
Will Celtic invest in the squad in January?
Back to the real world – Rodgers has said that he is open to staying at Celtic under the right conditions – one would imagine that a big part of that is some help being brought to his squad in January.
We know that January is a difficult window to buy players in, but Kuhn, Alistair Johnston and Matt O’Riley have all been brought to Glasgow mid-season in recent years.
The form of Yang Hyun-Jun and James Forrest certainly indicates that the side could do with a right-winger. The former was on the verge of a move away from the Hoops in January.
Kelechi Iheanacho has scored since his arrival, but unless Johnny Kenny or Shin Yamada hits form, the side could do with attacking reinforcements.
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