A player Celtic were linked with in the final days of the transfer window has enjoyed a fine start with his new club. The Bhoys were linked with plenty of potential signings during the summer window, and they wound up signing as many as 10 of them.
Martin O'Neill added plenty of depth to his squad, albeit many of the signings came too late to save Celtic from a Champions League disaster. Still, some quality players ended up being snapped up, and the Bhoys look to be in a good place to defend their title.
The Hoops have a 100% record in the Premiership so far, which they extended with a comeback win over in-form St Mirren over the weekend. O'Neill has a dangerous front line to call upon, and his defence is solid enough, even with the injuries to Alistair Johnston and Kieran Tierney.
Devenny sparkles on debut
One player Celtic were linked with before the English deadline was Crystal Palace's Justin Devenny, who had been playing a steady part for the Eagles, racking up 44 league appearances by the age of 22.
But Devenny ended up joining Stoke, with a fee of around £5million reported. And the midfielder has already enjoyed a superb start with the Potters, playing a key role in their 4-0 home win over Charlton Athletic over the weekend,
Devenny scored twice and was the star of the show. Stoke boss Mark Robins said after the game: “He’s scored two good goals, but as a team we will grow and get better because these players are hungry to do well. We’ve got decent depth and quality and that’s the exciting part for me.”
Robins spoke at the deadline about how Stoke won the race to sign the midfielder ahead of Celtic. He said: “Devenny has been quietly coming through at Palace and when it became clear he was available, we pushed the button quite quickly because there was interest from north of the border as well I think,”
Celtic ended up going elsewhere to sign midfielders, with Joel van den Berg arriving from PSV Eindhoven, while Oliver Sorensen arrived on loan from Parma.
Just how serious Celtic's interest was in Devenny is not clear, but we do know they did not end up making a formal offer. But that may have been because Stoke were already a long way down the line with a deal.
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