Celtic and the value of offloading fringe players this summer

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If you are reading this as a Celtic fan, the transfer window is now open and it is time to strap yourself in for the excitement of the coming months!

For people like myself, this is the best but also one of the more stressful times of year, but 67 Hail Hail will keep you right on all of the latest transfer news concerning the Bhoys.

Despite the excitement over potential incomings at Celtic, there are also considerations to be had regarding who could head to the departure lounge.

Admittedly, this isn’t the most exciting topic as a supporter; however, that shouldn’t overshadow how important this endeavour is, especially when it comes to offloading fringe players.

Celtic will look to harness value from peripheral assets

The casualty list at Celtic already looks to be forming this summer. Kicking things off, Hyeongyu Oh is being lined up by Genk in a swoop that could net the club upwards of £3.5 million, per reports.

Swedish outcast Gustaf Lagerbielke and forgotten man Sead Haksabanovic could also be on their way to Lecce and Parma, respectively, though it isn’t clear on what sort of terms that may be.

Again, this isn’t exactly going to get fans off their seats; nevertheless, shifting these assets helps to reduce bloating among the group while also throwing up non-homegrown slots to be filled for European competition, alongside the added carrot of vacating space for young players to come through from Lennoxtown.

Across the 2023/24 campaign, per Transfermarkt, Celtic took in roughly £38.9 million in transfer fees. That doesn’t even begin to cover outgoing loanees and some of their wages becoming someone else’s responsibility.

Admittedly, a fair portion of that arose from Jota’s £25 million move to Al-Ittihad, though deals such as David Turnbull’s £2 million switch to Cardiff City despite having five months on his deal and Yosuke Ideguchi’s £870,000 departure for Vissel Kobe represent small gains that can be made.

This summer, Celtic could decide to part with a number of players for a decent sum. I’m not going to list everyone, as that would fill the next two paragraphs, but Mikey Johnston, Benjamin Siegrist, Yuki Kobayashi, and Marco Tilio spring to mind.

Brendan Rodgers may need to assess more potential candidates in pre-season before they join the same boat. Either way, if the club wants to bring in a hoard of new signings, a firm hand is needed to make tough decisions.

To look at the bigger picture, these small steps can represent vital building blocks in cultivating a Celtic squad filled with richly talented players top-to-bottom that the support collectively desire. Strap yourselves in; there could be a hectic few months in store.