Celtic's transfer activity so far this summer has left a lot to be desired. The fans are clearly unhappy with how things have played out, with merely weeks left in the transfer window and even less time before they take on Kairat Almaty in the Champions League qualifying play-off round. The squad seems significantly weaker now than they were a year ago at this time. That should not have been the case, with such an important tie coming up.
There is a belief that the club might be waiting to see if Celtic qualify for the Champions League before deciding on what kind of investment they will make in transfers this summer. If accurate, that feels counterproductive.
Conversely, it is also possible that their targets want to make sure that Celtic have Champions League football to offer before making the move. Well, that means that they will have to wait for a while yet.
The drawback of letting things drag on is that players end up finding other options. For example, at one point in time, Celtic might have had a chance of signing Lennon Miller. But now, he has ended up joining Udinese and that opportunity is gone. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Mark Guidi said on The Go Radio Football Show:
"Celtic had it in their grasp to go and do it. Brendan Rodgers was desperate to get him in the door in January and the club missed the opportunity to go and get the deal over the line.
“I think at that point, the boy was willing to go to Celtic.
“But then he decided he wanted to go abroad and he had a few options. He had looked at McTominay and he looked at Gilmour and he looked at Shea Adams and Lewis Ferguson, Josh Doig, all those boys, all doing really well."
Celtic fumble chance to sign player Brendan Rodgers desperately wanted
It is hard not to draw parallels with the John McGinn saga from Brendan Rodgers' first spell at Celtic Park. Everyone knew he would be a great signing, and the player seemed keen on the idea as well.
But then, Celtic let things drag on for too long, which allowed Aston Villa to swoop in and sign McGinn. The rest is history. He has gone on to become a regular Scotland international and captained the Premier League side during one of their most successful periods in recent memory.
Let's see what the future holds for Miller at Udinese. He is considered a generational talent in Scotland but will need to prove his worth in Italy.