Celtic were very active during the summer transfer window, bringing in nine new players. But till now, only one of them has been successful in making a genuine impact, in the form of Luis Palma. Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki have looked decent when on the pitch but might struggle to get ahead of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales in the pecking order. And let’s see how Paulo Bernardo does with Reo Hatate out injured.
Celtic have stuck to making ‘project’ signings in recent seasons. It served them very well in Ange Postecoglou’s first season at the club.
They were able to sign the likes of Carter-Vickers, Jota, Reo Hatate, Matt O’Riley, Daizen Maeda and more. The results were not as spectacular the following season. And there are question marks over this summer’s signings already.
The returns have been diminishing, to say the least. It is always important to find the right balance between youth and experience when it comes to building a squad. The Hoops have not done that.
Rodgers confirms what Celtic fans have been waiting for
It looks like the club will be looking to bring in more experience moving forward. As reported by The Celtic Way, Brendan Rodgers said:
"“Listen, we have enough – what I would say – development players. I think it is clear. And I love that, it is what I have done all my life is work with those players. But you certainly need ones that can come in [and make an immediate impact].“We already have a number of those development players, so it is genuine quality we hope we can bring in across the coming windows.”"
It remains to be seen how Celtic’s recruitment strategy will transform over the coming transfer windows. It has been clear for a while that the fans want to see more established and experienced players being brought in.
Celtic have remained top of the Scottish Premiership. But if they want to make a genuine impact in the Champions League, they will need players who are ready to make an impact from the get-go and not getting their first taste of football at that level.
Of course, it is important to bring in youngsters and nobody wants the club to stop doing that. But at the same time, adding the right amount of experience will help them as well.