Celtic fans will be riding the coattails of a brilliant week that ended in a thumping derby victory over Rangers last Sunday.
In a period when the transfer window also ended and the Bhoys found out their Champions League league phase opponents, supporters have a lot to be excited about right now.
The late scramble for arrivals at Celtic Park didn’t disappoint. Arne Engels, Luke McCowan and Auston Trusty came through the door on deadline day. Meanwhile, Alex Valle was loaned in earlier in the week.
Evaluating the squad, some would argue the only place that may still require surgery is the wide areas, where no new faces appeared despite links to Royal Antwerp’s Michel Ange Balikwisha and Gustaf Isaksen.
Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers elected to keep his flanks untouched in the end, which may present an opportunity to one or two others at Celtic.
Luis Palma and Hyunjun Yang’s renewed opportunity
Assessing the pecking order, Daizen Maeda and James Forrest have produced a consistent level of performance during their time at the club and will both be expected to play key roles this campaign out wide.
On the same token, Nicolas Kuhn has made a fantastic start to life this term and has arguably locked down the right-hand berth for now.
Leaving Luis Palma and Hyunjun Yang in reserve, there may be a renewed sense of opportunity for the pair to force their way into Rodgers’ plans.
While the transfer window took shape, the Irishman repeatedly emphasised his happiness with how the tools at his disposal were faring on the pitch. One of his core philosophies as a manager involves squeezing an extra 10% from what he already has, which has resonated since his first tenure.
Off the top of my head, James Forrest, Callum McGregor, and Ryan Christie came on leaps and bounds during his first tenure, so there is room for that to happen this time. Profiling potential candidates, Palma and Yang jump out as obvious contenders.
Luis Palma and Hyunjun Yang can kick on at Celtic
Last term, Palma registered ten goals and ten assists for Celtic in a decent debut season. However, consistency became an issue in the second half of the campaign, which will need to be ironed out.
Intriguingly, the Bhoys rejected approaches from Bundesliga and Ligue 1 clubs for the Honduras international last week. Could that be a sign that Rodgers believes he can bring the 24-year-old on a level or two? It isn’t out of the question.
Reading between the lines, Yang finds himself in the same situation on the fringes. Three cameo appearances from the bench this season have shown glimpses of his potential as he looks to build on an up-and-down time of things last term.
However, both men are still here, which suggests that the manager holds a level of trust in their capabilities. With some refinement on the training field, expect the pair to have an influence somewhere along the line amid a heavy fixture schedule.
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