06 Aug 2026 06:35:14
Challenge - what team are doing the type of business that you want Celtic to do ( in terms of player, value, timeline of deal) rules are it can’t be epl team, outside top 6 of other top 4 leagues,
Example anyone from Holland Belgium Denmark Greece Norway Swiss Poland mls Sweden Austria Portugal ( maybe exc port Benfica) etc,
No one outside top 6 France Italy Germany Spain and no one from prem,
I certainly can’t give an example team wise not because I can’t but because I don’t have the knowledge, but loads of people seem to know how bad we are so they must know who is doing a great job,
This is a genuine question, a lot easier to answer come end window but I’m interested in the answer right now.
06 Aug 2026 07:40:08
Michael, we are not going to do your homework for you. ?.
06 Aug 2026 08:16:57
True Joe, think u know what I mean though, most windows all close same time (ish) so there must be some teams flying with quality signings well in advance of window closing going by some of our fans reactions, we’ve people quoting total squad leavers including several non contributing loan players, several of own players finding new clubs although they where part of ours last season, our actual contributing leavers where sarrachi inheacho meada, I’m not accepting aroujo as he was cover for aj who returned and was 1/ 4 rbs. If most these players weren’t contributing then getting them off books is right thing to do, especially if another team actively wants them ( example Bernardo welsh Palma narawski ) I don’t think we done much work to get these players out, I believe there agents and buying club done most work, a player like balikwisha for instance we prob want off books we can’t (yet) , there’s the argument that’s 100% true that last year wasn’t good enough squad wise so there catch up to do not just replacing players, but for me that’s what a full window is for, Celtic will know what they need, try and get who they want 1st ( done ok so far with 2 came in) (and link wise most happy with who we are linked with) and towards end of window I think a club like Celtic will review and look back on what they need over what they want,
Last summer we didn’t get any of what we wanted, settled for what we needed ( tonetki balikwisha and inheacho ) of those 3 tonetki gets a 25% approval inheacho 50% and Balikwisha 0% approval, and in winter we where going to back Nancy, mon chose the 3 loanees that failed over domestic options, still ignoring domestic options.
For me on face of things mn seems inept but I just know nothing of the workings for transfers so I’m self aware enough to admit that and see other side of coin, are we going for players that in end don’t want to come here ( Hassan for instance, big link, been in contact before wc, offer apparently agreed as is terms but is player maybe wanting something different) if that fails everyone’s going to blame mn but is it his fault he’s hanging on to get player we want, and some of the low balling news stories we hear are apparently rubbish, I might be gullable to some but i don’t care.
06 Aug 2026 08:25:28
What a strange question with so many caveats that no one on here would be able to answer as we don’t know the size of re build other teams need.
What we do know is that we have gaps all over the park, players have returned to parent clubs, have been sold or loaned. Think it equates to 12. We have brought in 2! It doesn’t take a genius to work out that we need replacements.
You seem to be in the minority of fans who does not see a major problem here!
No one is panicking, they are just really concerned about what is happening at our club and why, for at least the third transfer window, we are all over the place.
06 Aug 2026 08:48:28
Celtic are getting rid of an awful lot of players right now and as of yet have only brought two in.
This can only go two ways in my opinion.
Either we are reducing liabilities, costs etc in preparation for a sale of the club.
OR
We genuinely are after quality as MON has declared several times.
The combined signings of Duran and Hogh point to an uplift in ambition if my glass is half full. A smaller squad with more quality players which become future assets to sell.
What I can’t square in my head is why more haven’t arrived when such a huge game is round the corner.
The next four weeks are pivotal for the club and the fan base. Surely the club are aware they won’t get away with the same issues we had last year?
If they don’t bring more players in then i think we have our answer.
06 Aug 2026 09:08:54
The majority of big clubs have a productive and well run Development Academy, scouting network, Recruitment team and even a DOF to liase with the club manager and Board fluently. Celtic currently lack professionalism and efficiency and even inactivity in these areas,
06 Aug 2026 09:14:13
Mr read through the posts especially since Monday but long before, there’s lots saying how bad we are, how bad mn is, some joking most not,
We have a gap at gk lb rw, that’s it, now wether other positions need improved is another discussion, reo Engels aj now Bernardo all moving on as and when does create more gaps, no one’s suggesting otherwise, but the criticism with nearly a month left of window I’m not sure is warranted as harsh as it’s been, no one is panicking, read the comments and posts, I think someone summed it up perfectly “panty wetting “ so obv my post is to the “ panty wetters” and not those just concerned,
06 Aug 2026 09:16:48
Mr go into other thread read first couple of discussions and tell me it’s just concern, there’s actually someone linking the 5 way agreement to Celtics current transfer processes.
06 Aug 2026 09:21:21
Thats a difficult concept because some of the clubs operate differently to ourselves.
Take Club Brugge as your example,5 players bought for a combined total of £20m, sold value £70m, that's our boards wet dream.
But Club Brugge have their development side Club Brugge NXT who compete in the division below, that would be like us having our Bteam in the championship, your combining your home grown young talent and young players youve purchased for development and have them playing good level competitive football.
This allows the club to promote from within, so when you sell your top assets the have ready replacements or can use some of that money to sign players. Those academy players they sell become pure profit.
We can't even keep our top young prospects, but that's not just ourselves that's all of the Scottish clubs, teams from down south can chuck these young lads in u18/ u21 and they earn more than they would at majority of full time clubs.
Our structure and strategies aren't in place, winning the league last year has allowed the imbeciles to continue running our club as a savings account.
They must realise they need to speculate to accumulate, invest in 1st team squad and players to develop (sent out on loan) to make money from future transfers, and keep reinvesting.
06 Aug 2026 09:24:47
Jaa11
Do you think the board admitting publicly that they struggle is a indicator. You can write massive posts on here to justify but the brutal facts are they're inept.
06 Aug 2026 10:38:46
@Jaa11 I was in the same position and mindset as yourself last year. Expecting the club to make the signings we needed and confident it would happen by the end of the Summer window I was miffed to say the least about our business. Thought we would definitely get it right in January then came the Nancy debacle and that, I believe, gave the board another out to explain their poor transfer window.
Here we are again with a month to go, gaps to fill in the team, with possible bigger ones to come and no sign of replacements.
I am not for one minute advocating we just pay clubs what they want but right now we seem miles away from finalising any deal and the squad we have just won’t cut it over a full season when you know we will have injuries and suspensions.
I believe we need a GK, RB, LB (cover for KT and not Scales) , at least 1 if not 2 centre half’s, a RW and probably 2 midfielders who go straight into the team not squad players.
That’s a lot of ground to cover with a month left so I guess they better get a move on because at current speed we will be left very thin on the ground!
06 Aug 2026 11:06:21
The old a month to go, hear it every year.
We don’t prepare it’s as simple as that.
It’s clear that big sales will happen before we sign anymore players, even then history tells us that’s not a guarantee.
06 Aug 2026 11:20:23
Jaa11, I can see sense in your posts, revthe players that have left or been loaned. Realistically none of these players were 1st team players, but squad players. Football is a squad game over a season so we are rather thin on the ground.
But the loan signings in January no one will miss. The others who have left apart from Daizan no one will miss. I mean would the fans be happy to play Welsh and Palma through a season. I don't think so.
But the situation does remain that we do need positions filled.
Once AJ and Engels go we'll see incoming but just replacing those 2 won't be enough.
Buying 2 strikers with no one to supply them we'd be as well sticking 2 traffic cones up front.
Let's judge at the end of the transfer window. But if the last 2 are anything to go by, we'll all be on here sounding off and quite rightly so.
06 Aug 2026 12:18:38
The problem is Jaa, there is zero trust in Nicholson and his cronies to suddenly get it right.
I thought this summer we would get it right and it astonishes me that we are under prepared again with CL qualification coming up shortly.
You mention that you'll judge once window closes, the saying seen this movie before comes to mind and I fully expect us to be picking up loans in the last few days / hours of the window.
06 Aug 2026 12:50:10
Mr Mojo Risin, Bishopton1888, Turner1984, Jim1888Jim, Stevie27 and Greentree,
Good posts, I agree with the points you've made.
HH.
06 Aug 2026 12:54:06
Guys ther no sense in my post, I’m rage baiting those who can’t wait to bash, not everyone who is concerned as so am I, Brugge I expected but they are a class above us (maybe shouldn’t be ) , it’s difficult to answer but not at end window.
06 Aug 2026 14:17:20
It's our own doing that the likes of Brugge are a class above, we have the finances and resources, we have the monopoly of youth to select from in Scotland.
I think Dane Murray and Colby Donovan are two great examples, at 23 Dane Murray as a CB shouldve been loaned out for 2/ 3 seasons dependant on development progress before getting intergrated into the first team where you would hope he would then challenge for a starting place, or developed enough to be sold for total profit to the club, he's had 1 good loan away, but shortage of players, home quota for European games meant he probably came in too early, and his limited game time derails development, that's not to say he can't get better, or would've gotten better had he been loaned out again, but playing week in week out he would've got that opportunity on loan, Colby the same.
If you could get say a +£5m profit on say 3 academy players who have developed at the same age intake and then been sold on as not deemed good enough to continue at Celtic to probably teams in England then that would pay for your Baur siging each year for free, costing nothing to the club, repeat for the next graduate age group, obviously keep those who are developing in line with the clubs requirements.
We are very quick to right off young players we have coming through, but I think more needs done to make sure they go out on loan and gain the experience required, and that they see a pathway into the team or then sold instead of leaving the club on a terminated contract.
There is also no reason why we don't sign players, to be loaned out straight away, with an eye on either one for future or turn a profit, again it should end up with either resources to reinvest, or a player good enough for the squad.
Unfortunately something is an absolute miss at our club, but end of the window will give us all the final answer on if we have come out this better or worse off.
One thing is for sure, if we qualify for CL and don't heavily bolster the squad, with the likes of AJ, Heatate and Arne likely to leave, we could be in for a hiding every mid week, and a dog fight every weekend.
06 Aug 2026 14:17:53
@Jaa11. I would pose a question to you. What do you think we have done well over the last 2 and a half transfer windows? Who were the big successful signings we made that will carry the club forward.
In this window what do you see/ hear/ read that gives you any confidence we will get what we want and need.
I know it is not all down to Celtic that some transfers have not gone our way as the market prices have inflated drastically primarily due to the silly money English clubs are offering. This is the way it is now and offering way below what clubs want just won’t get the deals done and we need to move closer to what they want without getting ripped off.
06 Aug 2026 15:52:17
Mr I think we’ve identified 2 quality options, got one deal done early and another within week to 10 days of player giving move go ahead, I think we’ve allowed players to promptly move on when teams want them, I also think the solid links to baur and Hassan seem great links so positive for players we are identifying to bring in.
Poorly, I think we’ve let left back problem be a problem when it don’t need to be, and if we want a gk same issue there, I’d add timeline to baur / hassan deals, but that’s just a frustrated uneducated guess I have no idea How deals are done, just want done.
So far I’ can’t give a solid opinion to your question, if window ended we would be gk lb and rw short, but window isn’t shut so I reserve right to answer later, difference in me compared to the people i'm asking to answer my question is quite clear, there’s people slating mn, slating mon, slating club, club set up,
Club policy on transfers etc etc, so they are so informed i'm looking for them to compare us to other teams and answer my question ………. isn't a plethora of answers, plenty of reasons for why people feel a certain way which is fine, but no answers, it was a rage bait question admittedly mostly because I’m well aware these people can’t answer it, some will go do the google search and transfmkt page checks but will probably find we aren’t as behind as they say, teams like us in this market are struggling to do deals etc, but he ho these are probably same people that wanted shankland and devlin at Celtic.
Again I’ll say our squad beyond questions
Needs improved, but some just can’t see beyond there own opinion to understand they as fans know nothing of how football clubs work, how transfers work etc so should or maybe should check there opinions at times, especially some of the nonsense we’ve read on here.
I’d be truly astonished if lb situation is same come cl game, I also think rw will be sorted, so although we still need more, I expect to win and if they don’t it’s not on a board or mn, il
Not ever be convinced of that,