Celtic certainly seem to be working at a rapid pace this summer to get signings in. The arrivals of Kieran Tierney, Ross Doohan, Isaac English and Benjamin Nygren have all been confirmed so far. Then, on Monday, they were joined by Callum Osmand as the Hoops announced his signing from Fulham.
Rumours continue to swirl about a couple of players on their way from Japan. Centre-back Hayato Inamura might be next on the confirmed list. His club, Albirex Niigata, announced he was leaving. The player posted a farewell message to the fans too.
Both the club and the player held back from disclosing where he was heading. But all the signs point to Celtic Park being Inamura's next destination.
That means there is a lot to be excited about so far this summer. It’s an interesting and exciting collection of players so far, with lots of potential. Osmand, in particular, could be one that’s about to make a bigger impact on this Celtic team than most expect him to.
Callum Osmand's connection with three past Celtic stars
He will be the latest Celtic signing to have spent time at Fulham. There is a fine trio of players over recent years who have learnt their trade there before joining the Hoops. If Osmand can get close to the success of any of that trio, he’ll be doing very well.
Patrick Roberts had a great two-and-a-half seasons at Celtic. Quite a long spell for a loan player, but he made a very positive impression on both fans and managers. He was at Fulham for a few years during his youth football days before moving to Manchester City. He only ever played three times for the Citizens' first-team compared to his 78 appearances in the Hoops.
Matt O’Riley didn’t make the direct move from Fulham to Glasgow either. He joined Fulham at the age of eight and played at various levels over many years. At 19, he took the bold step of leaving as he wasn’t getting the chance to progress to the first-team. A spell at MK Dons then led to him being signed by Celtic. Of course, his time in Scotland was quite spectacular. The Danish international picked up several awards and trophies before his big-money move to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The third player on this list is Moussa Dembele. A phenomenal, powerful striker in his time in Glasgow. He joined from Fulham in the summer of 2016 as one of Brendan Rodgers’ first signings.
Dembele had made the breakthrough to the Fulham first-team with 19 goals there in 64 appearances. He soon upped that strike rate under Rodgers, reaching 54 goals in 94 Celtic appearances. Like O’Riley, he was transferred on for a huge fee.
We’re not going to be like some other fans here and declare Osmand as world-class within his first few days. He’ll need time and maybe some patience to show what he can do. The Fulham connection proves nothing in reality, but the precedent does add more interest and excitement as we wait to see how the player gets on.