Brendan Rodgers has promised Celtic fans that more signings are on the way.
Elfsborg defender Gustaf Lagerbielke looks to have played his final match for the Swedish club and is expected to join Celtic this week.
Since the treble was celebrated with a win over Inverness Caley Thistle at the start of June Jota, Aaron Mooy and Carl Starfelt have left the club with Maik Nawrocki the only genuine first team starter to have moved in.
Odin Thiago Holm and Yang Hyun-jun are showing promise in their cameo roles but it is asking a lot for them to make an impact when the Champions League kicks off next month.
During Ange Postecoglou’s time at Celtic fans were spoiled with some spectacular transfer window swoops with Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Matt O’Riley hitting the ground running during January 2022, providing the driving force that pushed the side all the way to the SPFL title.
It is harder to improve on the current squad but from a position of strength on the park and money in the bank Celtic have rarely been in a better position.
The Daily Mail reports Rodgers saying:
We’re looking to obviously reinforce with Carl (Starfelt) going, so hopefully we can do that in the coming days.
We need a few more, that’s for sure. I don’t want to put a number on it, really, but we’ve got a bit of time to strengthen the squad and hopefully we will do that.
With just over a fortnight to go in the window Celtic fans will be hoping that plans are at an advanced stage towards bringing new players in.
Sunday’s Viaplay Cup tie at Kilmarnock doesn’t look like the best time to put new signings into the side which leaves a home match against St Johnstone as the only remaining match of the transfer window. On September 3 Rodgers takes his side to Ibrox.
The recently returned manager knows as well as anyone what will be required for the Derby match which is followed by a demanding autumn schedule around Champions League midweeks.
Despite impressive periods of play Celtic fell some way short in the Champions League last season in what was probably a reasonably fair draw.
Real Madrid were always going to win the group but hitting the heights Celtic could reasonably aspire to win the home matches against RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk.
At this minute it is difficult not to come to the conclusion that Celtic are in a weaker position with only a couple of Hatate/Maeda/O’Riley like signings likely to improve things.
Those three players came in for a combined tally of £5m but the funds are in place to spend more than that.
In January Alastair Johnston and Oh Hyeon-gyu were signed up before Josip Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumakis were sold, this time around Celtic are playing to a much tighter timeline with the toughest fixtures of the season scheduled between September and December.
▶️ Celtic made it two wins from two and finish the day top of the table with a 3-1 victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/PhJn3j4UhA
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) August 13, 2023
