The strongest Celtic XI after impressive January window and the future team Ange Postecoglou may have in mind

By Hamish Carton

February 1, 2023

The January transfer window didn’t slam shut for Celtic last night, more gently close over with little fanfare.

Ange Postecoglou had opted to do his incoming business early, with Alistair Johnston and Yuki Kobayashi arriving before the month had even begun, and Tomoki Iwata and Hyeongyu Oh joining before the final week.

As a result, there was virtually no Celtic-related drama yesterday with the focus solely on outgoings.

Oliver Abildgaard departed to go to Hellas Verona while Giorgos Giakoumakis will join Atlanta United in the coming days.

Neither would have featured in Postecoglou’s strongest team, so let’s take a look at that now, as well as what it could look like in the future.

In terms of form right now, the above graphic must be Celtic’s strongest side. Yes, Jota is better on the right, but this is a team most supporters would have complete confidence in to get the job done against any side domestically.

Of course, Ange doesn’t just use a strongest XI every game. He has a core of around 20 players who are all able to contribute when called upon.

The likes of Hyeongyu Oh, Matt O’Riley, Sead Haksabanovic and Anthony Ralston will all play a huge part going forward, almost as much as the eleven players above.

But what about the strongest XI Postecoglou may have in mind for the future?

As you can see, there are a couple of changes here with Japanese pair Yuki Kobayashi and Tomoki Iwata coming in.

We get the impression that Ange really likes the duo and could well see them play a big part between now and the end of the season.

That team has the balance in defence, the energy in midfield needed for the Champions League, and explosive pace up front.

Exciting times ahead as we watch this ever-changing Celtic side grow under Postecoglou.

In other news, former Celtic youngster Jack Aitchison has joined Motherwell