Celtic fans know what to expect each summer by now. It’s become a familiarly uncomfortable and frustrating period. Rumours about new signings can be fun, but it doesn't seem to work that way at this club.
Among the gloom and despair on many Celtic chat forums, there was a brief glimmer. A ray of sunlight just over a week ago. It looked like there were multiple deals on the table and being finalised.
Fans got hopeful, excited even. That increased as Kasper Hogh edged closer to signing. Suggestions that Mika Baur was almost complete added to the buzz. There was even positive talk of other big money signings being worked on.
Celtic’s brief summer lift
When Hogh arrived for his medical and was then officially announced, there was a real lift for fans this summer. Since then though that’s gone down quite a few levels. We’re back in despair basement again.
There has been a dose of reality as Celtic recruitment returned to business as usual. The other rumors have fallen away. Baur may yet happen as a late-in-the-window deal, but his club is playing it hard and costly on any deals right now. Fares Ghedjimis looked like another possible signing, but news that Rangers may have outbid us has soured that option even if that turns out to be fake or incomplete.
The bareness of the Celtic squad has been highlighted by that underwhelming win over Dundee on Monday. It’ll take time for Hogh and Camilo Duran to work up a partnership, that's fine. But the supply to them was poor, highlighting the need for quality wingers.
Lack of cover at Celtic in the spotlight again
The reality of the lack of cover was obvious again. Viljami Sinisalo only has Ross Doohan behind him, so we’ll have to hope there are no injuries there. News of a goalkeeper signing is very quiet. Yet it was a known gap months back when Kasper Schmeichel’s long-term injury was revealed.
Alistair Johnson and Arne Engels are both on the doorstep getting ready to say farewell. And their replacements are… Well, we don't know yet. Johnston swapped to right back to accommodate a rest for Kieran Tierney and brought right back Colby Donovan on. Maybe that was Martin O'Neill making a subtle point to the board.
There are so many other gaps, in numbers and in quality that it seems unbelievable to go so deep into the window with so little completed activity. Yet it is fairly normal for Celtic. The Champions League Playoffs against top Austrian side Lask look even closer. Can we hope for another, albeit brief, glimmer of hope and signings before then? Not necessarily based on past form.
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