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As the January transfer window approaches Celtic fans are delighted by news of early signings, with deals for Yuki Kobayashi and Alistair Johnston over the line already. But they could potentially be left unsettled by a surprise exit next month.
Usually all eyes are on potential signings, while occasionally there has been the inevitable exit of a big name player or two.
The departures of the likes of Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard in the past were well signalled beforehand so the hoops fans had time to be prepared.
This time it could be very different. As reported by Football Scotland in November, Ange Postecoglou appeared to hint at fan favourites leaving the club as he said at the AGM:
"“We will need to move players around to make gains. We have to maximise our squad to get the greatest revenue from the club. I’m comfortable with that. It will be unsettling for you guys, you’ll have favourite players but we need to be wise.”"
Celtic fans must brace themselves for a potential surprise exit
The January window would be an early departure for most of Celtic’s recently rebuilt squad. So where might we see expected moves?
Goalkeepers and defence have room for exits
There is strength in depth in the goalkeeping department. It’s unlikely we’ll see any changes to Joe Hart or Benjamin Siegrist at this stage. If Tobi Oluwayemi is happy with his understudy position we may well see Scott Bain look for a chance elsewhere to play more often. And Conor Hazard does not appear to have a long-term future at the club either, despite his impressive loan spell at HJK Helsinki.
Celtic have already added to their defence by bringing in Kobayashi and Johnston. Thus, some outward movement in the Hoops’ defence seems very likely.
Josip Juranovic has been rumoured to be on the move either in January or next summer and his exit wouldn’t be a huge surprise. Stephen Welsh going out on loan for more game experience has looked likely for a while.
Cameron Carter-Vickers had just the one performance at the World Cup. If he had featured in more games then there may have been increased interest from other clubs. We should see him return and use the experience of playing at the grandest tournament on the planet to get even better.
Carl Starfelt and Moritz Jenz are also expected to remain in place for now. The German centre-back is on loan until the summer with hopes of making that a permanent deal. That may depend on what happens with Carter-Vickers in the future, and how Kobayashi settles into the squad.