Even though Celtic won a double this season, adding another Premiership and League Cup to their ever-growing trophy cabinet, plenty of changes are expected to be made to Brendan Rodgers' squad this summer. The Northern Irishman is entering the final year of his contract, and hopefully, the club are keen to make an impression through their transfer activity and convince him to extend his deal in Glasgow.
Of course, it is always hard to predict how things will go when it comes to the summer transfer window. The first move has now been made official. And it is not an arrival, but an exit. One that nobody would have seen coming even a week back.
Celtic have announced on the official website that Scott Bain has left the club. The goalkeeper spent over seven years playing for the Hoops.
Bain had been behind Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo in the pecking order and was not getting playing time. At 33 years of age, he appears to have chosen to leave in search of first-team opportunities elsewhere.
Celtic officially announce first move of the summer
The reason this move is unexpected is that most fans had thought that Bain had accepted his role as a backup goalkeeper. He had had that role for years now. So, him choosing to leave a stable squad role at 33 years of age is something that not many saw coming.
We can only wish Bain the best of luck though. He was a popular figure in the dressing room and despite not playing much, he was considered a leader. One could not have asked more from him, considering the role he was expected to play.
It remains to be seen where Bain ends up next. One would hope that he gets the role of a starting goalkeeper, wherever it is.
On the other hand, Celtic are not expected to take much time to replace Bain. It is believed that not only have the Hoops already identified Bain's replacement but they have agreed a pre-contract as well.
That is none other than Ross Doohan, who is expected to make a return to Celtic as the third-choice goalkeeper. He was at Aberdeen and made a handful of appearances in the 24/25 campaign but his contract is set to run out this summer. Not only will he replace Bain but he will also fill up the homegrown quota for the Hoops.