What is Celtic’s biggest need in the summer transfer window?

Celtic are coming off the back of a very disappointing campaign which saw them fail in their quest for a historic 10IAR and also finish the season without a single piece of silverware, a rare event for the Hoops these days.

Thus, the club must be eager to bounce back as soon as possible. But that will be made even more difficult by the fact that a number of players look set to depart Parkhead in the summer.

First-team players like Odsonne Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer and Ryan Christie could be on their way out, while the loan spells of the likes of Diego Laxalt, Jonjoe Kenny and Mohamed Elyounoussi are also coming to an end. On top of it all, long-time captain Scott Brown is leaving in order to join Aberdeen in a player-coach role as well.

As a result, next season is setting up to be a transitional one for the Hoops but it is also one in which they must succeed. What is their biggest need this summer though?

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Celtic need to make reinforcements in a number of areas this summer

While the club must make changes all over the pitch, there are three positions which need reinforcements more urgently than others – striker, centre-back and right-back.

Edouard is the Hoops’ top scorer and perhaps their best player. And it looks like he will be heading for the exit door this summer with just a year left on his current contract. Patryk Klimala has already left for New York Red Bulls. This means that they will have Albian Ajeti and Leigh Griffiths, if he remains at Parkhead, available at striker next season as things stand. Neither of them have had a great season.

Centre-back is another worry for the Hoops moving forward. If Ajer does leave as he is expected to do, it will leave them with Stephen Welsh and Christopher Jullien, with Nir Bitton capable of playing in the heart of defence when called upon to do so. It goes without saying that that is not enough depth to compete for the league.

And finally there is right-back. Kenny is set to return to Everton from his loan spell. That means Anthony Ralston could be left as the only recognised right-back at the club soon and he has not shown enough to suggest that he can be the long-term solution there.

If you look at all three of these positions it might be right-back that needs the most immediate attention as they lack the most depth there. But ultimately, all three positions and many others in  the squad need reinforcements over the summer transfer window if the Hoops are to mount a serious title challenge next season.