It has been an interesting, yet difficult season where there have been three different managers in charge of Celtic. Work in the transfer market has been underwhelming, and now, Celtic are set for potentially their biggest rebuild ever in the summer. 19 players could potentially leave the club.
Many players are at the end of their contracts, whether through loans expiring or deals running out, and there is bound to be interest in some of our best players.
Celtic players who could be on their way out
- Julian Araujo [End of loan]
- Tomas Cvancara [End of loan]
- Junior Adamu [End of loan]
- Joel Mvuka [End of loan]
- Benjamin Arthur [End of loan]
- Marcelo Saracchi [End of loan]
- Callum McGregor [Interest]
- Kasper Schmeichel [End of contract]
- Kelechi Iheanacho [End of contract]
- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain [End of contract]
- Daizen Maeda [Interest]
- Arne Engles [Interest]
- Auston Trusty [Interest]
- Reo Hatate [Interest]
- Yang [Interest]
- Benjamin Nygren [Interest]
- Alistair Johnston [Interest]
- Paulo Bernardo [Celtic could move on]
- Michel-Ange Balikwisha [Celtic could move on]
Remember, those are just potential exits, but they are all viable. It is a massive list, and honestly, it's quite shocking to look at.
Who could leave and who could stay?
There are players that supporters will be hoping get signed. Notably, two loan players, Saracchi and Araujo. According to Saracchi's agent, there are already discussions set to take place between the player and the club about a permanent move, but there is sadly no news on Araujo.
Johnston could be subject to interest if he impresses now that he has returned from injury. If he has a good World Cup with Canada, that could attract even more suitors. If we don't sign Araujo, then Celtic can't afford to lose him.
Both Maeda and Hatate will be on their way out the door. Hatate is clearly not part of the plans anymore, especially with Luke McCowan having been offered a new contract, and Maeda will be keen for a new challenge.
Bernardo will be moved on as we have likely seen the last of him, and it wouldn't come as a surprise if the club try to do the same to Balikwisha. He has not managed to impress in his debut season for the Hoops, but he's signed up to a long-term contract, making it difficult to recoup lost money.
There is already reported interest in Engels, Trusty, Yang and Nygren. The Swede is Celtic's top scorer and has been linked with a blockbuster move to the Premier League, so if the offer is too good to turn down, we could see him move on.
The Ox hasn't done enough to win himself a new deal, Iheanacho just isn't constantly fit enough to warrant an extension, and Celtic fans can't wait to see the back of Schmeichel, so no new contracts for any of these three will likely happen.
McGregor is an odd one because it does seem as though he's weighing up his options due to recent comments in the media, but he could also just be subtly pushing the board to be ambitious. We'll have to wait and see, but it wouldn't come as a surprise if there's at least an offer made for the captain.
It's going to be a major rebuild in the summer, but we don't need to replace everyone who is leaving. Right now, the squad is too bloated with players who don't fit the hoops, so if we can focus on bringing in quality players instead of below-par options, then we could have a good transfer window on our hands.
Of course, that'll largely be down to the next manager, who is yet to be named. We need to get someone in sooner rather than later, because work needs to start as soon as possible.
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