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

We could improve all over the pitch.

Wouldn’t take much to improve at the centre of defence. Desperately need one, probably two first team ready midfielders. Another winger and another striker.

 

Sell Kuhn, sign Kvistgaarden.

Run a front three with; Jota, Maeda, Kvistgaarden, Yang, idah, Forrest.

Loan out Kenny to an Aberdeen sort level.
Clear the deck of any other attacking three type player.

Sell Bernardo (sorry lad). Sign Miller and a "Wanyama" type.
Loan Motherwell McArdle as part of the deal for Miller.

Run a midfield trio made up of McGregor, Engels, miller, hatate, McGowan and the "Wanyama" type.
Clear the deck of any other midfielders (looking at you Holm and Kwon).

Left back, clear the deck completely.
Run with KT and another younger/developed/future guy, if it's that Mills, so be it.

Right back, happy enough with AJ and Ralston, albeit Defo could get better than Ralston. But he is fine for the squad and not an immediate fix needed here. Clear the deck of anyone else (don't think there is).

CB sign that 17 year old Serbian lad. And another ready made left footed player.
Sell scales, Lagerbeilke, whoever * else is lingering around.

Run with 17 year old, Trusty, CCV, Nawrocki and the new lad whoever that is. If we give Nawrocki the fair games he deserves, we may not need the additional CB and could run with Murray.

GK. Seems to be sorted.
Sinisalo should be getting (for me) majority of games as he progresses to our first choice. Kasper and Doohan make up the numbers.



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I think if we bring in two midfielders at least one has to be very attacking. I felt that's what was missing from Engles game (I know he has lots of assists) and felt when he didn't have Hatate next to him you didn't see the best of him. I like Bernardo but I'd be okay to see him make way for another midfielder.

 

Too sensible.

I raise you spending £15mil on Brendan’s boy Dewsbury-Hall. £12 mil on dara O’Shea. And £15 mil on Evan Ferguson and Rodgers prem bingo will be done.

hatate, Maeda, CCV and Kuhn all leaving though so we’ll still be short of all the players we needed before hand

 

Wouldn't be happy with those forward options. It lacks creativity big time. Especially with Jota out

 

Generally agree with the overall sentiment of this. Albeit I think we wont and shouldn't discard Bernardo just yet. Although he should be getting a firm kick up the * and told now is his time and passive flashes here and there are no longer enough

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I also wouldn’t be bothered if we sold Bernardo.

 

Centre back has been such a problem position I think we could consider going against usual model and consider bringing a shorter term experienced option. Theres some experienced centre backs out of contract this Summer - Michael Keane, Ben Davies, Ben Mee etc. All well over 30y with no sell on value but plenty of prem experience and could do a job for a season or maybe two while we develop or scout a replacement and move some of our other centre backs on. Take some of the pressure of CCV to play so extensively.

 

Taylor -> KT
Shupp -> LB to rotate with KT
Lagerbeilke, Nawrocki -> First choice CB
Kwon -> Strong defensive unit in number 6
Barnardo -> First choice 8/10.
Tilo -> RW to compete with Kuhn
Kenny -> First choice striker

Thats how we improve the quality of the squad. Ok its prob 30m more than we bring in, but take away Frimpong money and the money not spent in Jan replacing Kyogo its closer to half that as in 15m.

Ive no doubt we will sell one or two big hitters which would need replaced on top of the 6 above named. And we normally make a profit in them cases. So that 15m could be closer to breaking even over the 2 windows.

Thats without touching the money already in the bank

 

I expect quite a few to move on and besides Maeda and CCV, and we can assume McGregor and Schmeichel will be not move, I really doubt we would miss any another individual player.

We have an awful lot of players on our books that realistically either arent good enough or arent going to play. Trusty, Lager, Rocki, Welsh, Holm, Kwon, Palma, Yang, Tilio, is nearly a whole team of dead wood. That is maybe harsh on guys like Rocki but for whatever reason hes never going to be first choice. That still leaves guys like Ralston, Forest, and Scales who shouldnt be starting but have done enough to justify being in the squad.

If Bernardo, Engels, Idah, Hatate or Kuhn were to decide they wanted to move on, Id be ok with it (obviously not all of them at the same time!). The first three in that list really need to push on and improve next season.

So I expect and probably hope for a real rebuild this season. We need refreshed and the mood music feels like we will be moving a lot of players on. Maeda and CCV will sting if they want to go but on the whole I think everyone else is replacable

 

Hope Brendan has told the board, if signings aren't made by the qualifiers, no one of note is leaving.

If there was ever a time to do more business early, it's this summer.

 

Theres an awful lot of fringe players that need to be moved on. But if Rodgers isnt planning to stay beyond next season, Im not sure how invested hes going to be in a major squad overhaul. His priority would probably be trying to keep as many first team players as possible and strengthen in a few areas.

 

If nobody was to be sold

We need a GK to replace Bain - likely Doohan.

A left back - would give Anderson pre season and see where he is it but probably unlikely as promoting youth players doesn't seem to be in Rodgers plans so likely we will sign someone.

A Cm - badly need a different profile in there. Doesn't need to be 6 foot 3 monster. Someone in the mould of John Mcginn, a young Scott Brown or a Ryan Christie type (Rodgers or Bournemouth version not the Kris Commons clone Lennon tried to turn him into) would give us so much more power and physicality in there.

2 left wingers - Jotas injury is a * and in all likelihood majority of next season is a right off for him, we mite be lucky and have him back in a similar role to this season ie coming in around February but not match fit enough to reach the heights he's capable of and all he hoping for a good pre season for him to then see the best of him the following season.
Maeda is a striker imo. Lets be honest we aren't going to find a striker at his level in our budget so why bother sticking him back out wide when we already seen his impact dip over the last month. As Rodgers said himself its probably an easier task to sign a top quality winger than a striker.
Liked the look of both Orjasaeter and Balikwisha when we were linked and both of them fighting it out for starting slot would give us great competition and both capable of playing off the right too.

Chances are we will lose at least 2 from starting 11.

Think Hatate is the most likely so another CM would be required, again I'd be looking for a physical box to box type as above. If we are going to persist with an ageing McGregor as a 6 then he needs players around about him with the power and pace he lacks to make up for him not being a proper DM.

Maeda is the other worry for me, in last 2 years of his deal and no real signs of him signing an extension. Maybe it finally time to sign Kvistgaarden as his replacement.

Khun still has 4 years left on his deal and with injury to Jota I think we should try hold on to him for another season, his form and attitude hasn't been great recently, which will also make it less likely he gets the type of move he wants anyway.

Centre back could also do with an upgrade, likely casualty is Trusty but has shown in champions league he's capable and wouldn't be the 1st centre back we've signed who's took a season to adjust to the physicality of the Scottish league. He's also not long just became a dad so challenging time at home.
Id much rather bin Scales as for me he's a million miles away from every being good enough for us but Rodgers has a real hard on for him, partly due to fact he's Irish and he thinks it's a great story and ignores him constantly looking like a fish out of water whenever he comes up against teams of similar level or better.
Would still keep CCV as he's our best defender but similar to Trusty and Scales his ability on the ball is an issue. Ironically the centre half Rodgers doesn't like is probably the one most suited to playing against teams who want to park the bus.
An Ajer type of CB, one capable of breaking the lines either thru passing or carrying the ball forward would definitely improve us, although he'd need to be a better defender than Ajer was.

So in terms of needed; 3rd choice GK, back up left back, physical midfielder and 2 left wingers.

Wanted; a better ball playing centre back and likely another CM and striker.

 

If I see Dara O’ Shea mentioned again I think I’ll throw the phone in the fire tbh.

Also, don’t be codding yourselves with Yang. We’ve seen enough, surely.

 

I like Yang, he's improved and always tries but we know he probably isn't good enough. That said I'd probably keep him while Jota is injured, get another winger on loan to buy. Maybe in January he could leave, I think he'd do well in MLS.

 

Yang would do really well in a counter attacking team, which we’ll never be of course. If I was one of the teams coming up or trying to get out of the championship in England I’d be in for him for a few mil.

Birmingham even would be a good move for him if Davies used his links back here

 

Couple of interesting WhatsApp rumours today


We’ll look to bring someone in to cover the Jota injury


And we’ll look to bring a CB in if we get offers for Welsh Rocky and Gustav










Also Brendan seems to want to focus on Scottish players

 

Not great if we are only going to bring in a CB on the precondition we move others on. Should get one in regardless and worry about moving the others on after.

 

The old one in one out