Celtic have finally learnt an important transfer lesson

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Remember when Celtic had to do all their transfer dealings in a microscopic window of time this summer past?

It might seem like a long gone era now, so busy has the last six, seven months been. But Ange Postecoglou was categorically up against it time-wise when he came to the club.

Despite knowing the likes of Kristoffer Ajer, Odsonne Edouard, Ryan Christie and Olivier Ntcham were likely away, Celtic didn’t strengthen a jot in January of 2021. Not really. If anything, we became weaker, through the sale of Jeremie Frimpong, and the stop-gap loan of Jonjoe Kenny.

So, it was left to Postecoglou and Michael Nicholson to try something incredibly hard – essentially rebuilding a squad on the fly. Mercifully, it worked, but not because they’d been set up to succeed at it. Now, finally, it looks as if a lesson has been learnt.

Celtic signed three players before the window even began. Good players, too; on long-term deals that ensure some continuity between now and the start of next season. With a move for Jota likely, and negotiations over Cameron Carter-Vickers, Celtic are – shockingly – setting themselves up for the future.

Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi provide real options in midfield, while long-term deals have been sewn up for the likes of Greg Taylor and Anthony Ralston. There’s real momentum here, with both a title race in the short term, and more challenges to come.

Importance of Celtic transfer business can’t be understated

Again, this shouldn’t be shocking. But long-term planning isn’t really Celtic’s thing. As successful as the last decade has been, we’ve struggled to bring in substantial quality midway through a season. Up until last season, domestically at least, that didn’t hurt us too much.

But it was always a problem when we got to European qualifiers.

Of the January transfer windows going back to 17-18, you could only really argue that Ismaila Soro and Scott Bain had a lasting impact. The former can’t get in the team, the latter has sporadic appearances and isn’t entirely trusted by supporters.

Now, this isn’t to put any pressure on the new Bhoys, far from it. But they’re coming here in good match fitness, and have immediate roles to play. Their ages suggest they’ll hit their peak years during the terms of their contracts (although Maeda is a loan to buy). That’s actual foresight.

That it took this long to get to this point of planning is an issue, obviously. But it appears Celtic have finally realised that the January transfer window isn’t just about putting plasters on wounds where necessary. It’s an opportunity to strengthen in a substantial way, plan for the following summer, and build a competitive squad for challenges now and in the future.

It took a while, but it looks like we’re getting there.

Read more: Report: The behind-the-scenes Benfica factor that makes Celtic Jota sale likely