Celtic have now signed three players with pre-season kicking off at Lennoxtown.
Kieran Tierney, Ross Doohan and Benjamin Nygren are the new faces in the first-team squad as the Hoops returned to training on Friday.
Nygren was signed for a bargain £2m, while Tierney and Doohan have arrived on free transfers after leaving Arsenal and Aberdeen respectively.
But Chris Sutton, writing in his Daily Record column, thinks Celtic are not doing enough transfer business and need to get their skates on ahead of the Champions League play-off round in August.
Sutton argues Celtic’s transfer activity is ‘lacking’
Sutton thinks Celtic fans are feeling edgy at the moment as a result of the lack of spending so far, despite understanding full well how the transfer market operates.
The pundit knows that the Hoops are prone to signing their bigger targets near the end of the window, but the former Parkhead striker wants to see them arrive in time for the pre-season trips to Portugal and Italy.
Sutton wrote: “Brendan Rodgers could not have been any clearer about the impressive impact last summer’s pre-season work had on the way Celtic stylishly set about their business.
“Fast forward 12 months and I’d say it’s even more important this time around.
“Which is why I can understand some edginess that has been creeping into supporters as time ticks past with noise on the signing front remaining relatively quiet.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it’s at full volume in the background as Rodgers’ recruitment team set about delivering the quality he wants. Benjamin Nygren’s sealed deal says as much. A positive sign.
“I feel like I say this every year, but there really is no time to waste. Especially not this time with the sceptre of the Champions League qualifiers being back. Those games are enough to make you feel a bit queasy.
“Look, again, I’m not daft. I understand how the market works.
“I’m fully aware that Celtic will have targets who, at this stage, might not be unavailable due to their own clubs not having made up their mind, or that agents are playing a waiting game and trying to smoke out the best deals, waiting to see if they can generate as much interest as possible for their client.
“Unless Celtic are going to start paying silly money, I’d imagine they may have to wait, perhaps even until the end of the window, for some of the key targets.
“But it still feels a little lacking to me at this precise point of proceedings and, at the very least, Rodgers will surely want the majority in his squad for the start of the domestic season.”
Celtic signings at this point in summer 2024
Sutton feels last summer’s pre-season preparations were perfect because of the high calibre opposition during the club’s tour of the USA.
But in terms of signings, Celtic did not make their first until July 16 when Viljami Sinisalo joined from Aston Villa for £1m.
Then it was Kasper Schemichel a few days later, meaning the Bhoys had only signed two goalkeepers heading into the end of July.
Surely Sutton was slightly more worried last year than where we are now? June hasn’t ended yet Celtic have three new signings in the door.
Of course, the difference this season is the Champions League play-off, which is probably why Sutton is feeling a little more nervy.
But there’s still time and panic stations don’t need to be setting in just yet.
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