Celtic's 2025/26 Summer transfer window: needed and wanted!

Wouldn't be a talkceltic transfer thread if @Blochairnbhoy didn't get his huffy kid moaning in early

 

Gotta be ruthless about it, gotta ask yourself, who amongst the current squad has the most genuine potential to be part of a first 11 that can see us go as far as possible in the Champions League, which is the ultimate aim when entering that competition, no matter how improbable or unrealistic

Schmeichael, Johnston, CCV, Bernardo, Jota, Kuhn and Maeda I have that faith in, also have that same confidence in KT once he arrives in the Summer, don't have that same belief towards Scales (we saw with his brain fart at the 3rd goal conceded against Villa that he ultimately can't be relied upon at that level as a first choice), Trusty, Engels, Hatate (due to how inconsistent he can be) or McGregor (given he'll be another year older at 32, a yard shorter, doesn't have the required physicality at that level which will be even more exposed next season due to the fact there will be no inverted fullback to provide extra cover in midfield as KT bombs up and down the side of the pitch instead)

Btw I do know that CCV had a howler against Brugge but we all know he's generally a very reliable, solid CB

So that's a new first choice left sided CB to partner CCV, as well as 2 to 3 new first choice midfielders, extremely physical and athletic ones, who can tackle and keep possession moving as well as chipping in with goals (not easy to find on our budget I know)

Squad wise we'll be looking decent once those additions are made, although another winger to compete with Jota and Kuhn is a must too, Yang still got a long way to go to prove himself and Forrest will be 34

CB will be interesting, 7 on the books (CCV, Scales, Trusty, Nawrocki, Lagerbielke, Welsh, Murray) and that's before the thought of adding another so something will have to give there

 

Just the 10 signings then.

 

As above, I think will be very quiet and our movement will very likely be dependent on outgoings, probably centering around the potential movement of Maeda, hatate and Kuhn..

CB:
id like a CB but can't see much happening unless 1 of ccv, trusty or scales were moved on.

Rb. Johnstone is nailed on starter. Unless a good offer comes that will be the same come spetember. Ralston is fine for a second choice and isn't going anywhere.

LB. id throw the baby out of the bath water and let both Taylor and schlupp off. Taylor for me gets a bad rep but I feel he isn't getting the interest he thought and he's backtracking now. Schlupp I think is in Glasgow for a handy time. Both can tip off. Id give Anderson/ frame the summer to prove they can be back up to Tierney. If we need to act late in the window fair enough but the club have to attempt to address the abysmal route from academy to first team.

DM. McGregor with a strong young signing

Cm: could see hatate stay or go albeit I think his pref would be to go. Clubs willing to meet his value doesn't make that a certainty and could see things get a bit sour in that regard. I like him but if his value was met I think it's time for him to move on. Engels should kick on hopefully and go up a level, mccowan good squad player, Bernardo I feel will also kick on next season and expect the starting 3 mainly to be McGregor/ Engels/ Bernardo. To recap for midfield I'd sell hatate and buy two young developmental type midfielders. One of whom is a cdm..

Front three: a bit messy for me. I call it that as Maeda is in the conversation. For me the only guaranteed starter next season currently for a variety of reasons is Jota. Maeda makes the conversation complicated. I think Kuhn goes. I think Maeda surely has to attract serious interest. I can't see the club go and pay big money for a striker if maeda and idah are going to cover centre forward. If Kuhn goes I think we buy a winger. If Kuhn and Maeda go we need a winger and a striker. Could see Maeda stay as first choice striker(he seems very happy in Glasgow) with the recruitment centering around replacing Kuhn and maybe signing another depending on Rodgers actual opinion on the development of Yang..

Id clear absolute house when it comes to fringe players. Kwon isnt coming back the Korean rodri

Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk

 

Haha nah not moaning mate for me a dont think we need that much.

Need to get the obvious ones out the door.

Defo need a striker, another CM and for me another winger.

Then depends on Jota injury and Hatate and CCV potentially leaving they need replaced.

 

Out
Nawrocki
Lagerbielke
Welsh
Holm
Kwon
Yang
Palma
Tillo
Kenny

That’s possibly 15m of transfers out right there

Really hope Frimping isn’t the next Dembele and actually sold this summer so we get a sell on fee

Bernabei too

What we need is:
Taylor to sign a contract
CB
CDM
Kvistgaarden


If we were looking to free up more cash my first 2 picks be Trusty and Idah as feel we’d get an ok sum for both and good but not fully convinced.

I think Rodgers will desperately try keep our main players but with the nature of our transfer strategy we’ll lose a couple so will have to replace them also. Really hope we keep CCV and Maeda

 

I'd keep Yang until we sign another winger. Before considering outgoings, my priorities would be:

• CB, left-footed and good on the ball
• Defensive midfielder, someone athletic
• Creative midfielder
• Winger (I don't mind which side as Jota can play either, just someone quality)
• Striker

 

Departures

Hatate
CCV
Khun
Tilio
Kenny
Lagerbielke
Welsh
Nawrocki
Palma
Kwon

For me this summer going by brendan "4 year" comment

 

We'll get 4 players in


Probably move a few on

 

From what I read Kvistgaarden can play on the wings. We also have Jota, Kuhn, Maeda, Forrest

 

I feel there could be quite a bit of movement this summer given our decent European campaign and the length of time a few of our squad have been here.

What we do in the market will largely be driven by who stays and goes.

Regardless of that we needed another forward either winger or striker depending where we see Maeda largely playing next season. Also given we got Tierney, if Taylor signs on we will have addressed another in the left back slot.

To me we could do with a clear out of back up centre backs and sign someone who can challenge CCV, Trusty and Scales for the starting spots.

So that would be 3 in. The rest depends on who goes for me and the extent of Jota’s injury.

Interestingly a couple of players we were previously linked with could be available come the summer as Gronbaek and Rieder will likely go back to Rennes who are keen to move them on. A loan to buy of either would be interesting.

I think there could be quite a few other players who are in similar interesting scenarios Mannsverk at Ajax is a ball playing DM or Kamaldeen Sulemana as a winger who haven’t quite hit the heights at their club but are good players that could fit us well.

It will be interesting to see what we do as we will once again be in a real strong financial position, and it’s likely we have at least 2 decent sales. There is also the ever long Frimpong sell on and a few fringe players who should bring a few million in to top up funds.

 

I'd like to see us bring in 6 players this summer.

I think the main sales this summer will be Hatate and Kuhn. Can't see any reason why we won't get somewhere in the region of £25m for the both of them. We also have some players out on loan who are performing well enough and should see some decent sales there. Lagerbielke being the main one. Definitely see us getting our money back on him. I think the likes of Palma, Tilio, Kwon, Welsh... could see another couple of million there too. So, we should definitely see, I think, sales that bring in around £30m.

So, we know Tierney will go and it now seems likely that Greg Taylor will stay and basically play as the back up. I'm happy with both the full back positions for now. Johnstone could be upgraded on in the future but it is certainly not a priority right now. Centre backs is where I think we need to significantly strengthen. CCV gets a pass mark this season but even he has had some dodgy moments during this season and I do think it's been his worst performing season so far. However, he has a lot of good will in the bank and any talk of upgrading on him should be kept low for now. That being said, we should always to look to have a succession plan in place for when our players leave and I think that we need to get at least 2 centre backs in during the summer. Lagerbielke and Welsh will/should leave for cash, Trusty isn't good enough to be first choice, Scales is fine as back up and I just don't know what is going on with Nawrocki. So, Trusty out, Scales kept as a back up with Murray and Nawrocki out on loan. A new first choice, left sided CB to replace Trusty, with Scales as back up and I would like another CB in place, maybe a younger one, with the view to taking over in the long term. Maybe someone in their early twenties who can step up in certain games when injuries are required. In terms of personnel, someone like David Carmo as a first choice from Olympiacos/Nottingham Forest. He's very good and comfortable on the ball. He would probably cost a record fee and wages may be difficult. Valued at around £10m. Not sure if Nottingham Forest will bring him back or of they will use him in their wee clique that the owner has. As a backup with a view to taking over, Tobias Slotsager(was that his name) seemed to be very highly rated in here and in Denmark when we were linked in January. Was only 18 at the time but looked as if he was getting a lot of experience at a young age and maybe someone we could bring in, slightly cheaper, with a view to taking over CCV in 2/3 years time.

Going into the midfield, I would like to see us bring in a defensive minded midfielder and another creative player to replace Hatate, who I think will be sold. I like McCowan and Bernardo as back ups, I think Engels will really kick on with a good preseason and we know that Callum McGregor is beginning to slow and playing that 6 role in Europe, on his own, is becoming a problem against better opposition. I don't think Kwon makes it here and will be sold/loaned out. McCarthy, if he isn't already, will be let go of in the summer and I would love to see someone like Jude Bonnar, who looked like a decent prospect when he came on a number of weeks ago, loaned out for valuable minutes in the Premiership somewhere. I'm sure a Motherwell, Dundee or Dundee United would love to play someone like that. In terms of personnel we could bring in, I would love to see us sign Sem Steijn from Twente as an attacking/creative midfielder but that will be an incredibly difficult deal to do. It would be a record fee, by a long shot but there are rumours Twente want £15m and I can't see why we aren't able to do that. Also, from a defensive point of view, someone like Eric Llansana from Go Ahead Eagles in the Eredevisie has been one of the best performing defensive midfielder in the league this season and would be available for a decent price.

Into the forward areas and this is where I think I'm most happy. I would like a new right winger to replace Kuhn, who is the favourite to be sold in the summer for me. So, a right winger definitely. I also want to see us bring in another striker who can play anywhere across the front 3 and that man is Kvistgaarden. Jota and Maeda on the left, Maeda, Idah and Kvistgaarden as a striker, New RW and Forrest on the right with Kvistgaarden comfortably able to deputise there as well. Kvistgaarden price has differed so much. Some say there is an £8m release clause this summer, others are saying it will take £10m. Either way, he would be a great addition to the forward areas because of that versatility. In terms of a new out and out right winger, with the way we play going to change up slightly more come the summer as it looks like we may go back to both full backs playing a more traditional overlapping role(Tierney isn't good enough technically to play inverted for me), I do like the idea of a right-footed LW and a left footed RW to cut inside and create the space for Tierney and Johnstone. So with that in mind, a left footed right winger who we should look to get Dario Osario from FC Midttylland. His form hasn't been amazing this season but he's still only 21 years old and definitely has the world at his feet. Valued at £8m but would probably cost more.

So outgoings this summer for me would be

Hatate- £12m
Kuhn £15m
Trusty- £3m
Lagerbielke- £3m
Palma- £2m
Welsh- £1m
Tilio- £500k
Kwon- £500k

Yang- Loan out
Nawrocki- Loan out

Frimpong sale- 30% of £30m profit is £10m

Total Sales- £47m

Incomings for me would be

Carmo- £12m
Slotsager- £2m
Llansana- £5m
Steijn- £15m
Osario- £10m
Kvistgaarden- £10m

Total- £54m

So a net spend of £7m.

Squad would look like this

GK- Schmeichel, Sinisalo, Bain
RB- Johnston, Ralston
CB- CCV, Carmo, Scales, Slotsager, Murray
LB- Tierney, Taylor
DM- McGregor, Llansana
CM- Engels, Bernardo
CM- Steijn, McCowan
LW- Jota, Maeda
ST- Kvistgaarden, Idah
RW- Osario, Forrest

Supplement the rest with younger guys coming in like Bonnar and Turley and if Holm has any future here after his loan, him too.

 

Gonna need to buy or loan another winger until jota is fit again. Poor bhoy can't catch break

 

Gonna need to spend big and recruit quickly.

Striker, winger, CB and central midfielder all needed in July at a minimum. That’s before any big departures then replacements needed immediately.

We cannot * around this summer, targets need to be already identified, we go out and we get them, pay the money or move on to the next.

No excuses of we can’t get players early.

 

Definitely need another CB.

I think we will also try and offload Trusty. He was a panic last minute £6M transfer buy, which many of us on here felt unsure about, and I think it is safe to say, Rodgers now realises this.

With Murray injured, and Nawrocki out of favour, we will need another trustworthy CB who can fill in for either CCV or Scales.

 

Need a CB, a striker and at least 1 if not 2 good wingers with Kuhn off and Jota with a very serious injury.

 

With Jota out I think you see a loan to buy come in. I think we were likely getting at least one winger in anyway.

 

Yeah a lot of rumours about us targeting a right sided winger which suggests to me that Kuhn could well be off in the summer as that was before the Jota injury.

With the injury to Jota we need a minimum of two forward players. If Maeda is still here we have the luxury he can cover two roles so you either bring in a striker and view Maeda as first choice left wing or you bring in another left winger and view Maeda as the main man up top. The other signing replaces Kuhn.

Even at that we would still be light with heavy reliance on Yang and Forrest to provide depth so it would make sense to loan someone to cover Jota’s injury. Although that may prove tricky as often players available on loan come late in the window.

In terms of number of total signings I think including Tierney your looking at 6-7 minimum. You need to remember we actually brought in 8 players last summer and that didn’t even feel that busy because two were converting loans to permanent.

Schmichel
Sinisalo
Valle (loan)
Trusty
McCowan
Engels
Bernardo
Idah

I would expect

- LB Tierney
- CB
- CM x2 (one to replace Hatate, the other more defensive)
- Winger (Kuhn replacement)
- ST or winger
- possibly a loan to cover Jota’s injury

There will also be a fair few moving on.

 

Think that's an incredibly kind take on Bernardo. In ahead of Cal, Reo and Engels as the only trusted CM in a UCL 11....