Celtic need to freshen things up and quickly because right now, they seem like a team without direction. The start to the campaign had not been the best and the hope was that the side would improve as the players adjusted to Brendan Rodgers' system and the summer signings settled in at Parkhead.
On the contrary, things have gotten worse. The joy of winning their first Champions League game in over six years was short-lived as Celtic stumbled to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Hearts at Parkhead.
The result means that the Rangers will go ahead in the league title race if they can win their games in hand. Something that would have been unthinkable just a few months back.
Many fans are now viewing the January transfer window as Celtic's last hope to save the season. And club captain, Callum McGregor, has come out to make a clear transfer demand as well following the defeat against Hearts.
McGregor makes clear Celtic transfer demand ahead of January window
As reported by the Daily Record, McGregor said about the situation:
"We’ve got a transfer window that can help the group and I’m almost certain that needs to be a big window to help us. We need players to help the squad. I’m not talking specifics, I’m talking quality coming through the door. That can be in any position, it’s the manager and those guys job to do that.
“But like I said, I think we need bodies and we need quality to come in and help us. Every season when we look at it, we want to be better. We come back in off wining a treble, how do we get better? You have to freshen up the place. You lose five or six big players from last season, so you then have to go and replace that if you want to keep on being successful.
“You have to find a way to rejuvenate the team and find the next Jota, find the next crop of players that are going to go and make you successful. So, that’s a target for the club all the time and they are always looking.
“Like I said, we’re missing the quality from last season and so we need to add to that. I think that’s obvious."
Of course, Jota and Carl Starfelt were two key starters from the Ange Postecoglou era who left the club in the summer. Another player whose absence has been pretty much overlooked is Aaron Mooy, who retired at the end of last season and had been terrific at times during the 2022/23 campaign.
That is a lot of quality to replace. Liam Scales has done a decent job of taking Starfelt's place in the team but then Cameron Carter-Vickers has missed several games through injury.
On the other hand, Luis Palma showed flashes of brilliance early on but is struggling at the moment. It is quite clear that he is not performing at Jota's level yet and is a very different player anyway.
Mooy has not really been replaced although the club did sign a few midfielders in the summer. And then there are several key players who have taken a step back since Rodgers' arrival.