With transfer speculation among Celtic fans reaching a peek this weekend among Anthony Joseph decided to fuel the flames with a throwback image.
Brendan Rodgers isn’t under anything like the pressure that Wim Jansen faced in July 1997 when he walked into a decimated squad that was expected to stop the juggernaut created across the city by Walter Smith and Dave Murray.
It is a good job that Twitter wasn’t around when Darren Jackson was announced as Jansen’s first signing- a deal that had the fingerprints of Jock Brown all over it.
Bradford City’s reserve keeper hardly inspired the fans, bringing in a pre-Abramovich Chelsea squad man seemed par for the course while trading Paolo di Canio for Regi Blinker was as popular as swapping Jota for Ryan Kent.
Blinker was left out of that photo-shoot as was Jonathan Gould, former Paris Saint Germain left-back Stephane Mahe and the Swedish guy with dreads were included and the makings of a team that would Stop The Ten was underway.
If Celtic don’t do something like this, this week, then they’re missing a trick… pic.twitter.com/ZfGIY0rpgO
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) July 23, 2023
You’re reading too much into the tweet, Paul!
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) July 23, 2023
Jansen redefined the roles of Jackie McNamara and Simon Donnelly, Alan Stubbs looked an entirely different player alongside Marc Rieper while the November signing of Paul Lambert, from the current Champions League holders was inspired.
The little Dutch coach had a few bumps on the road but 10 months after that picture was taken Tom Boyd was raising the Scottish League title that broke the mould leading towards Celtic’s near monopoly of the title and domestic trophies.
Maik Nawrocki won’t be carrying any of the expectations that Craig Burley, Henrik Larsson, Mahe and Jackson inherited. The Pole will face a pressure but nothing like the forces at play in the summer of 1997 and onwards
After a very slow start to the current transfer window Glasgow Airport seems to be the place to be for Celtic supporters.
According to a couple of reports three potential signings have arrived in the country over the weekend although there hasn’t been any of the traditional, staged media pictures coming through Arrivals.
Tapping into the speculation Sky Sports reporter Joseph dug into his archives to share an image from the summer of 1997 which had more than a few Celtic fans putting 2 and 2 together and guessing at the fourth signing.
Maik Nawrocki appears to have undergone a Celtic medical with Polish sources expecting an announcement on Sunday or Monday that the defender has left Legia Warsaw for Celtic.
Yang Hyun-jun and Kwon Hyeok-kyu have been ‘on the radar’ for a while longer, late on Saturday pictures surfaced of the South Korean duo trekking through Glasgow Airport.
Wim’s signings of 1997 certainly made an impact on a decimated group of players, Brendan Rodgers has inherited a Treble winning squad but certainly in Nawrocki he is demonstrating a wish to raise the standards in the squad.
There is more curiosity than expectations on Yang Hyun-jun and Kwon Hyeok-kyu as they arrive from South Korea. Where they fit in and acclimatise to the Scottish game is unknown whereas Oh Hyeon-gyu had the very defined role of being Kyogo Furuhashi’s understudy and Giorgos Giakoumakis’ replacement when he appeared in January.
Rodgers and his squad will enjoy another day of training in Japan before they return to the wind and rain of Lennoxtown for the final leg of their pre-season build up.
If Cameron Carter-Vickers is back in full training the jigsaw pieces will start to take shape with the SPFL opener fast approaching with a testing trip to Aberdeen coming three weeks today.
Back in the same time-zone and taking pre and post match media conferences the spotlight will be on Rodgers with an expectation that the squad that has lost Jota and Aaron Mooy will be strengthened.
Once three signings are in the door the quest will be on for number four with Joseph firing the starting shot with his Sunday morning tweet.
At least 3 players will be unveiled. All the finalising will be done when Brendan and the team get back from Japan
— Don Kideoni 🏴 🇬🇷 🇦🇺 🇮🇪 🇯🇵 (@ayremeraldcsc) July 23, 2023
That was a wild summer. Replacing the goals of Di Canio, Cadete and Van Hooijdonk with Henrik (we didn’t know then what we know now) and Darren Jackson. Rangers fans must have been betting their mortgage on winning 10 🏆 that season 😄
— Peter McDade (@PeterMcDade) July 23, 2023
Good morning AJ. Nice tweet I like it
— Db (@deejaypb) July 23, 2023
They’re in their 50s now, Anthony.
— Aldo Boot (@bikey99) July 23, 2023
Who’s the fourth then?
— Jay (@Jaycfc1888) July 23, 2023
