Celtic's 2025/26 Summer transfer window: Stage: Panic

We shot ourselves in the foot time and time again when it came to CL qualifiers. Malmo and Maribor being to two standouts for me. Both play-off games with huge money at stake, and we showed zero ambition in the market to qualify. The money this board have cost us due to lack of ambition totally outweighs the good when it comes to our player trading model. By a * distance as well.

 

I think Trusty is a board sifning, hence why he insist playing Scales. Only speculation but i genuinelly think there is a escalating conflict and that they dont want him to stay after this season.

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I think there is escalating conflict but I don’t think Trusty is a Board signing. I think he wasn’t a first choice but someone on a list. It was strongly rumoured we wanted Chris Mepham who ended up at Sunderland on loan. I think he may have been Rodgers number 1 target.

The Yamada signing for me remains a somewhat strange one. I can see similarities to an Ange, Kyogo style striker but Rodgers wants his centre forward to come off the front and link play.

Out of the strikers we have been linked to Strelec is probably the only one I think actually looks like a Rodgers type centre forward. Someone who is strong and mobile and drop in and let midfielders and wingers get beyond them. Our goal against Ajax last night was a good example of that Idah came very deep laid it off to Tierney and Hatate went beyond supported by Yang who took up the centre forward position.

I know Rodgers past performance in the transfer market is poor but he must be mightily frustrated just now. I criticised earlier in preseason how we didn’t really look like having an identity but even for the first half last night and two games prior you could see what we were trying to do. Literally a few better players and we could be a very decent outfit and the resources are there to get them. It must drive him insane.

 

Their model has needed to change since the champions league format changed.

Getting into champions league and finishing in the top 24 out of 32 teams to get knock out football is well within our reach and brings a huge cash windfall. That should be our target now and we have enough in reserve to afford a couple of misses.

I think there is muddled thinking in how tge squad is being assessed. The board are probably dithering on the signings from last year. Not neccessarily fixated on the money spent (which we easily afforded), but on the development of those players as assets. Much of our fan base has written off idah, engels and trusty as no more than ok. But i think the board still see them as players to be developed and arent going to write them off after a season. A certain amount of wait and see is unavoidable. Even the biggest clubs buy players that either dont hit the mark early doors or never really work out to the degree the club wanted. They cant just punt them.

But for us if we want to take advantage of a much more favourable champions league format we will need to get more proactive. Theres a limit to how many players we can hang around waiting for to come good so we can get a big sell on. There needs to be more aggressiveness in pursuing our goals.

 

Six in and 12 out.


It's perhaps not the arithmetic Brendan Rodgers had in mind when formulating his transfer masterplan this summer.



Celtic have cleared the decks by getting rid of some deadwood, while also banking a whopping £17million by flogging Nicolas Kuhn.

Throw in the seven-figure bonus from Jeremie Frimpong's switch to Liverpool and the Parkhead coffers are well and truly swelling.



On Friday, forgotten Bhoy Adam Montgomery became the latest outcast to leave the building as he sealed a season-long loan switch to Livingston.


He follows Scott Bain, Matthew Anderson, Maik Nawrocki (loan), Gustaf Lagerbielke, Liam Bonetig, Luis Palma, Jude Bonnar (loan), Daniel Cummings and Joey Dawson out of the exit door, while Greg Taylor also upped sticks for Greece.


South Korean winger Yang was on the scoresheet in Como Cup action and although Norwich City are sniffing around, Rodgers has made it abundantly clear the 23-year-old won't be allowed to go - at least until new faces arrive



Speaking after the 5-1 humbling at the hands of Ajax, the gaffer said: "I see Yang as an important member of our squad. He's a player that showed that domestically he can play well for us, and really well


He scored goals. He created goals. You see tonight that the goal he scored is very, very good.

"It's always a challenge, I think, at a club like Celtic, whenever players have maybe been for a couple of seasons and they're not quite established.

"Because then they want to go and play more. But certainly at this stage, where we're at within the squad, it's not something I can even entertain. You see he's starting the games.


And I see him as an important player for us in our squad. And once we can get the quality around him, then he'll be a good player for us.

“It's hard to say. At this moment in time, he's a starting winger for us. So we're not in a position to be moving him on. At this moment in time, it's not even in our thinking really."

With Jota crocked until 2026, Celts have been depleted of wide options. Marco Tilio has agreed to an initial loan move to Rapid Vienna, but it's unlikely the deal will be rubber-stamped until Rodgers lands further reinforcements


Talks are ongoing with Royal Antwerp over a swoop for Michel-Ange Balikwisha but as things stand, both clubs have yet to find a middle ground over the £5m asking fee.

As Record Sport revealed, the Hoops are also looking for a main striker and another midfielder remains a top priority.

 

6 in, whilst correct is quite misleading. 2 are 1st team ready. And the last of them was signed 1 month ago.

We're woefully under prepared for this new season starting in 9 days. We're weaker than when we ended the season and no further forward in any other negotiations.

Rodgers words were clear. If you want to progress...thats clear who the buck stops with. Its those outdated * in grey suits and silver and green ties.

Europe isn't on their agenda at all. Anything is a bonus. Domestically thats it. But they take that for granted. The free ride against a shambolic huns is over. That gap will close quick. Even quicker if these negligent * keep reversing us back.

We haven't prepared for the now season properly and are heading in to that period where things will be rushed and expensive. Clubs know we're rich as well. We've played a poor hand as usual.

No amount of DR or Scott Burns leaks are covering this. We're behind in where we need to be.

 

Exactly, and they've an extra UCL qualifier.
They are literally proving the point that players aren't always waiting to see where the chips lie, what European competition we are in, or waiting on the big clubs to do their deals before deciding to pluck for us.

It's another * myth that the media and fans have allowed to grow arms and legs, and the club are happy to chuckle away knowing many buy that *.

There is * all excuses for us regularly being under prepared by this stage in the summer.

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Further more, as an indication of what are priorities....Celtic by 11am yesterday morning has released 5 merchandise tweets.

We're a business to our custodians! We're just money to them.

 

As much as i am in agreement that the board are * and always have been.....If they gave Rodgers 30 million quid tonight would you trust him with it?

The money he has spunked already on the dross we have has been a * shambles......Idah/Trusty and Engels alone are just utter * * and im not having this "they young" or "they just need to bed in"

The team are weak all over....The bench now looks woeful.

The problem is....Do the board trust him with it to give him it after last seasons signings? Do they think he's gonna be here during the season? Or do another bunk blaming it on the board?

This was why again i personally wanted Rodgers to come out and give another 2 years at least and make it known on closing day of last season....Or.....He went out on a possible Treble (which sadly never happened) and congratulated fans and moved on.

We are stuck in a crazy moment here....Give Rodgers wads of cash and pray he doesn't * it up......Or don't and have him throwing a wobbler and leaving during this season or end off.

What Ambition do he and the board visualize here? Do they share this ambition? Does this involve Rodgers long term? If he has ambition of doing something with us it will take more than this year to do it.

To be starting our opening game with this is shocking imo:

Trusty/Idah/Engels/Scales/Tilio/Hatate/Ralston/Bernardo/McCowan/Kenny.......All as it stands and they play so far amounts to average SPFL players.

Still have Forrest as well (who i have no problems with bar age and legs)

The only exciting thing so far has been Inamura/KT and Nygren.

Maeda and Yamada looking ok so far.


We really are all over the place with that squad.....Good enough for SPFL absolute * going into another CL qualifier with possibility or earning 40 million plus if we make it again.

 

Balikwisha is clearly a level above our other wingers at the club (Maeda aside). Go out and get him * signed.

Would still want another two wingers on top of that, but he's easily gettable right now and an immediate upgrade. Why are we * about?

 

* SIGN SOME PLAYERS CELTIC!!!

 

Don’t understand why we don’t sign loan players more. look Ajax goalkeeper on loan from Liverpool. He improves that team and kept them in game last night.

 

No idea what the * they're playing at now.....this is mental even for this lot. Yang, Idah and Scales are going to start our first game.

 

I don’t disagree that we need to get the finger out, but dismissing the likes of Engels, Trusty and Hatate as “average SPFL players” is hyperbole.

 

Said it for months on this thread. Window was always going to play out like this.

Worst thing brendan done was say I will see out my 3 year deal as the * know he wants to make up for the first time. As i said last night what do you do to force them out of celtic (board members) cause its getting to a stage someone needs to make a stand.

 

Waiting until after the UEFA cup qualifier to bring numbers in


Still Marco to leave some time in the future

 

I don't think Engels has been as bad a signing as people think. I think people just want him to be an O'Riley replacement and he's a different kind of player. I'm fine with the money we spent on Engels.

Idah has been a big disappointment. I still think he has all the tools to be a great striker and he is still young enough to develop; but it's increasingly looking like he won't ever reach his potential. Maybe it's my lack of knowledge or understanding, but as far as I can see, he doesn't seem to have developed much at all. I honestly can't see anything he's better at now than when he arrived.

 

After last nights reality check has highlighted, we need quality players added to the team, hopefully the club has done its research and have identified players the would fit into our style of play but like the majority, I suspect there will be some knee * panic buys which will paper over the cracks for a short while. Hopefully I am wrong…..!

 

Don’t think anyone will bite

 

As Celtic fans none of us should be surprised that this is where we are at as it's the same story every single year...

We knew which positions we needed to improve on for the season ahead back in January so u can assume that Brendan, his backroom staff and the board will also know.

The same people also knew that the Huns would spend money after the takeover and as such will likely be in a better financial position than they ever have been but also they will likely be better run, better managed and have an improved squad to challenge us .

So, with that basic information that we all see why the * have the club not given Brendan the cash (which we have plenty of) to buy the targets that he wants early in the window to allow them to do a full pre season. That would be sensible and logical in any business but we historically do it * fae elbow with the result being we are a month away from a CL qualifier with a squad which still has Scales and Yang as starters with no LB cover for Tierney, no CB to partner Vickers (also injury prone), no defensive mid that we desperately need as we get bullied in midfield every time we play the filth cos Engels is a big * * shitebag and upfront is Idah who just looks disinterested and is frankly not good enough.

I am worried about the season ahead. I am * that Brendan and his contract being up at end of season is getting media attention cos it all impacts on the players and of course Brendan himself. Sort it Celtic, be transparent with the fans who continue to pump millions into the club though ticket sales and merchandise. We deserve and demand a strong Celtic team that we can be proud of. A team that will roll up their sleeves and fight for every ball. A team that will play football to win and will put teams to the sword cos we are ruthless and cos we are winners.

Back the manager Celtic and get the transfer business sorted