Time flies when you’re a Celtic fan, and it doesn’t feel like it was two years to the day that the club brought Jota to Parkhead on a permanent basis.
The Portuguese icon enjoyed a fantastic loan spell in 2021/22 that led the Bhoys to ensure he returned to Glasgow’s east end on July 1st 2022, and he duly delivered before leaving for Al-Ittihad last summer in a record-breaking £25 million deal.
In a lot of ways, it felt like an eternity before Jota’s buyout stipulation was activated. I can remember scrambling around for updates day after day on all corners of the internet and the buzz when he was eventually announced.
Fast forward to the present, and Celtic are yet to make their first signing despite anticipation from supporters that business will soon be done. That may be the case, but it does feel like there is a need for a statement of sorts.
Celtic fans patiently await movement in the market
As a fan, there is a certain level of frustration that comes with the fact Celtic are the only club in the Scottish Premiership not to open their chequebook.
Ongoing international tournaments, Euro 2024 and Copa America to be precise, may partially explain a hold-up alongside the fact some other clubs are only just returning to pre-season and are yet to get their house in order.
Nevertheless, on the two-year anniversary of Jota’s arrival, it does feel like a baseline level of excitement is missing from this window. If you were to describe Celtic’s two ventures into the market under Brendan Rodgers in one word, stagnant would be a phrase that comes to mind.
That isn’t to say there hasn’t been talent through the doors at Parkhead; there has, but a familiar feeling of business taking longer than it should is in danger of creeping in.
By all means, there is no need to panic yet; regardless, there is only just over a month until the Scottish Premiership campaign gets underway, so I don’t blame those who are starting to feel a little bit itchy.
Across the fanbase, there is a collective yearning for quality to arrive. Hopefully, it is only a matter of time before this prophecy is fulfilled.
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