Celtic sent Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama message amid transfer window frustration

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Charlie Mulgrew has used Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama as examples of how Celtic’s transfer strategy simply won’t change.

The summer and winter transfer window, after winning the Treble, has been beyond abject, with a number of project-like signings simply not working out.

Marco Tilio is an example, amongst others, as someone who signed in the summer from Melbourne City, but is already back in Australia after being loaned back in January.

Then there is Gustaf Lagerbielke, big money was also spent on him by Celtic, but he has hardly played this season and if it wasn’t for Cameron Carter-Vickers’ injury, then he would have also left last month. 

But Charlie Mulgrew pointed out that signing those players is always a ‘risk’ and that model has always been in place since the days of club legends Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama, as he told Sky Sports Football (03/02/24 at 12:10 pm).

The former Bhoys star has called for patience with the players that haven’t worked out so far and hope that they do come good.

Brendan Rodgers has been pretty vocal in wanting greater quality in the squad, but as it was pointed out, that’s just now how the club operates even if it frustrates the fans.

Celtic’s risky signings

“That has been Celtic’s model for years,” said Mulgrew. “You go all the way back to Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk.

“They came in as prospect players. Players that were just under £3 million. They come in and go straight into the team. It’s a risk when you sign players for that amount of money.

“If they don’t go to the Premier League for £5-10m and Celtic end up getting a chance of getting them, then it’s a risk. That’s why these players have had to go out in January because the risk they have taken this year hasn’t worked, clearly. 

“The players they have brought in aren’t good enough. They have come to Celtic and they haven’t done well enough in training. They haven’t done well in games and the manager sees that. It’s a risk when you bring these players in.

“Hopefully, a few hit the ground running. Alistair Johnston comes in and plays every week after Juranovic goes. He comes straight in. But you aren’t going to bring 7, 8 or 9 players in and they are going to go straight into the team. Sometimes, they do need to go out on loan, and hopefully, they can come back and do something. There is no doubt that the window wasn’t successful.”

Celtic’s dominance

Apart from a season behind closed doors, it has been pure domination from the team for the past decade and it hasn’t been capitalised on.

After winning the Treble last season, and with money in the bank, this was the club’s chance to really stamp their authority and fly away into the distance.

This was the chance to widen the gap even further on the domestic stage and then take that next step into Europe.

If anything, there is no change in Europe and the performances and results suggest that Celtic are going backwards under Rodgers on the domestic stage.