James McFadden calls out Celtic board over four transfer deals after controversial club statement

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The Celtic board aren’t exactly making themselves popular.

Put aside the Celtic supporters for a minute; even those on the outside are being critical of the powers that be and how they went about the 2025 summer transfer business.

Celtic published a statement over the weekend to try and calm the choppy waters, but as James McFadden pointed out, it’s ‘not about spending’, but the ‘timing’ of it all.

And the former Scotland midfielder named four Celtic transfer dealings that proved that.

• READ MORE: Brendan Rodgers told to ‘go and meet’ Celtic fans if what he said about the club is ‘true’

James McFadden critical of Celtic’s statement after a poor defence of transfer dealings

Three of the deals McFadden mentioned were outs, including Kyogo Furuhashi leaving in January, and how he ‘wasn’t replaced.’

The Adam Idah situation was also an issue, including how he was and wasn’t allowed to leave for Swansea City, and then Kelechi Iheanacho came in after the window slammed shut.

McFadden also spoke about Nicolas Kuhn leaving for Como ‘before a replacement was found’, as he told BBC Radio Scotland.

“Kyogo [Furuhashi] wasn’t replaced, Nicolas Kuhn was allowed to leave before a replacement was found, Adam Idah was allowed to leave, then he wasn’t, then he actually was, and then they signed a free agent [Kelechi Iheanacho],” explained McFadden.

“It’s not about spending, it’s the timing of the recruitment; getting the players in before you’ve let players go, but certainly before you play in a Champions League qualifier.

“The model’s been amazing for Celtic over a number of years, but this transfer window’s not been good enough, nor the last one.”

Who has replaced Kyogo Furuhashi, Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn at Celtic?

You are going to presume that Iheanacho is the man to replace Idah at Celtic, which sums it all up, really, because they are different players, and how those deals went about is also an issue.

Then you would probably guess that Shin Yamada is seen as Kyogo’s replacement, even though the Japan star hasn’t been selected for the Europa League squad. Once again, it sums it all up.

Then two wide players have arrived, including Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Sebastian Tounekti, but both of them joined after Celtic had crashed out of the Champions League.

A window to well and truly forget!