I was asked by one of my followers on Twitter what my thoughts were on Celtic and what level of progression we can expect with the current setup as it is.
This blog is one that is more difficult for me to write with a balanced perspective because when you write about something you truly love then sometimes the balance falls in favour of whatever argument you would use in the pub or on social media, and I'll be honest and say that even before I've started typing anything worth a sausage, I know that will happen because it's just human nature. However, I will try my absolute best to give clarity to each point I will outline.
TRANSFER STRATEGY
We've gone from signing players who were either young and raw with some sort of potential or old and free to a setup that seems to be about ensuring that Ange has players to fit his system and that age criteria isn't the be all and all.
When Ange arrived and we needed so many players that it initially felt like a numbers game, but what quickly became apparent was how much input Ange was allowed early in the process with us bringing in a wide variety of players, many of whom didn't fit the profile we'd seen so much of under previous managers who had the "support" of Peter Lawwell. No more Bayo types because we apparently needed a big striker, or Shved like signings because someone told someone, who told a friend that he might turn out to be good.
The front doors of Celtic Park seen the arrival of Kyogo, Juranovic, Hart, McCarthy, Ideguchi and Giakoumakis all over the age of 25 on arrival. Abada and a few other younger prospects also arrived to provide a nice balance to the overall picture but there were still some gaping holes in the squad overall.
Then the winter window brought us Maeda, Hatate and O'Riley so again 2 of the 3 were 100% identified by Ange and O'Riley looks every bit the player that you can imagine Ange sitting with the recruitment guys and saying let's go get him mate.
2022/2023 SUMMER WINDOW
Jota, Carter-Vickers and Maeda all became fully fledged Celts from the 21/22 squad.
The continuation of that break from what we had previously known continued with us bringing in Aaron Mooy for free at 32 years young and Abildgaard who is 26 on loan with no option to buy in the contract. The latter move at this moment in time feels as odd as the Ideguchi one for me, but we will see what the situation looks like after the World Cup is done and part 2 of the fixture madness that we will have through the bad weather begins.
We also continued to show a new direction in sourcing players by bring in Bernabei from Argentina. Then to my real surprise, taking advantage of the situation that has seen many players leave Russia with Haksabanovic arriving on a 5 year deal.
Throw in Jenz (loan) and Siegrist (Free) and that was our summer window done and for the first time in years we looked to have a situation where each position had competition.
However, unlike 21/22 it wasn't easy to look at this window and see who of the new batch were going to step into the first 11. Some like Bernabei were likely to need time to settle, there were also a few that hadn't been all that active last season and the rest looked like squad options.
In terms of those who left you could really only look to Bitton and Rogic as being any sort of significant losses so overall the squad looked like it had a better balance and a touch more quality in all areas. The rest were players who had been brought in courtesy of a recruitment strategy that at times felt like names were being pulled from a hat and that no one was doing background checks on players to find out if they had a bit of bad egg under the shell.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The Champions League handed us a draw that I think many under-estimated because of how poor Leipzig were at the end of last season, and that notion was cemented when Shakhtar beat them with ease in game week 1. Madrid, well they're European Champions and then there was Shakhtar who had lost a lot of valuable players due to the on-going defence of their nation against the whim of a madman in Russia. What many didn't factor in is that Shakhtar as a club aren't just playing to win football games, they enter the pitch to fight for a cause that's far greater than football and that sort of determination can carry people above and beyond.
The other thing, the key thing that all 3 of our opponents have.... at least one extremely good player who would walk into most of the top teams in Europe.
Madrid only have a couple of Ballon D'or winners. RB Leipzig have the backing of a huge and well-funded system designed to give them access to the best prospects in World football which has resulted in them having a team with 4 or 5 players that the best clubs in Europe covet. Then Shakhtar have Mudryk who is easily one of the best prospects out with the top 4 leagues, and another 13 players capped at international level, most of whom had a decent number of Champions League games under their belts.
We entered the tournament with 2 regular starters who carried any real Champions League experience in Callum McGregor and Joe Hart and while they are both good players, neither are at the level of guys like Mudryk, Nkunku or Benzema and that is' where we fell down this year and it's a hard bridge to gap for a multitude of a reasons. Some would say finances are the biggest issue and it's certainly a massive factor, but for me the low standards in the league are just as big and that's everything from the setup to the standard of pitches and officiating.
I can fully understand Ange sticking with the vast majority of guys who had got us there. It is easy to say that we knew a few weren't at that level but it could also be said they had earned the chance to have a go at it. I think that sort of loyalty from Ange will go a long way over time. It continues the message he put out from day one. If you get into the team and continually push yourself to be better and stick to his plan then the rewards will come. We as a club need that sort of ethos, it's been great to feel like the club has a good soul within it after years of looking at people whose first thought was about what they stood to gain from us.
The tactics deployed by Ange can be debated until the cows come home, but we all know what the strong points are within the team, and Ange played to them throughout. The team did compete for large chunks of all the games they played in. Unfortunately for us those quality players in the other teams have shown why they carry such high value and punished us when the chances fell there way. The Champions Leagues is a gun fight and the teams in the 4th pot unfortunately tend to turn up with pea shooters.
HINDSIGHT....IT'S A LOAD OF NONSENSE
There is no value in saying what if, or they should have done x,y and z at this point in time. I guess the question Ange and the club have to ask themselves today is what they learned from it all and what is stopping us from improving next season.
Do we need to take advantage of the profiles being raised to allow for funds to be available to make the changes required. Consider early offers on the likes of O'Riley, Abada and Juranovic and sell them earlier than we would have done with players in previous years. The other part to consider is did we learn from previous years to ensure there are viable options to replace players who leave without compromising the standard of the team.
I am of the opinion that the club should give real consideration to offers that may come in for a few of our players because while a few have a high ceiling of potential the reality is that Scottish football being what it is makes it very hard for some players to reach it. Sometimes it's better to let a player go when he's on an upward trajectory so at least you know you are getting a value that represents a belief that someone has in that player going forward. The alternative is to hang on to them and risk stagnation which is an issue in this league.
We also have to acknowledge that Hart, McGregor and a few others are at or close to the ceiling of what they will offer the team, so the team needs to start finding / developing new leaders now to ensure that when we phase out the older players over the next few years that there isn't a ridiculous drop off like we have seen in years gone by.
THE NEXT 2 TRANSFER WINDOWS
This era requires some real dynamic thinking to be able to compete in the transfer market as we are seeing more and more clubs moving into cooperative partnerships. The volume of big money owners and brands looking to hold influence globally feels like it increases every month. This has created a market where trying to find affordable potential is about 10x harder than it was 10 years ago. The City group, Red Bird Capital Partners or Red Bull can offer high wages and a pathway to their top teams via moves to Girona, Troyes, Salzburg, Liefering, Toulouse and many more clubs across Europe and beyond, so as soon as you see a talented young player being linked with Girona or Liefering you know that more often than not it's because that player has been identified as a player who could be moved on to bigger clubs in the chain they belong to. You also have the wealth of teams like Chelsea who can abuse the system to buy youngsters and loan them to other teams and charging high fees for the loans. They know that a player who has a decent loan spell also carries value that results in profits being made from doing very little.
That being said if you are clever and quick off the mark then there are players out there who offer great value. The real positive for us is so far Ange appears to have a good judge of character and doesn't shy away from pursuing a situation like he did with Giakoumakis.
Winter Transfer Window
The squad is pretty rounded in most areas, so I think the key thing is to look to get players the following players out via sale or loan with options attached:
Yosuke Ideguchi
Unfortunately for him the move just hasn't really worked due to injuries, form of others and the reality was that he was the one player that Ange brought in early that for me didn't quite look like he fitted the way we see the team play. His play style wasn't overly aggressive in the press, he wasn't a player who makes a lot of challenges. His role for the most part appeared to take the ball from defence and move it into midfield and we have an abundance of players who can do that and offer more in other areas.
Scott Robertson
On the rare occasions I have seen Robertson play I've always liked him. He always looked engaged in the game when I've seen him. At Doncaster he was the player who covered the central ground well and also done a lot of donkey work to cover over into wide areas for teammates who were either attacking or at times too lazy to track back. That reflects well on him, but unfortunately having to do that amount of leg work in a game can end up with you losing the chance to show what you are about as a player, and it can result in injuries.
He's now 21 and has missed a lot of time because of injuries so now is the time for him to choose a path with a clear understanding of what the chances are of him playing for us in the near future.
It would be good to finalise some of the deals that are in place with players who are already out on loan to allow for a greater sense of clarity going into the summer. Players like Ajeti, Barkas, Scales, and Uroghide all look like viable options to get off the books early.
Summer Transfer Window
I'll start with the outgoings. Some of these might be considered as slightly controversial but there are a few players that for the right fee could be moved on and replaced to provide us with the funds to try and push up a level in our recruitment.
Josip Juranovic
At the age of 27 Josip has only recently got to the point where his profile is catching the interest of clubs who probably didn't know he existed until he played for us. He's a fine example of a player who has the ability to play at a good level but was ignored because he was over 23.
World Cup on the horizon and Josip is in a good place to go and get game time for Croatia and as long as he performs to his usual levels his stock will never be higher and for me this is a good time to cash in. He would be a great loss, but if you can take a 3 million pound deal on a 26 year old and turn it into double digits within 3 years then that's great business.
Liel Abada
Liel has been a revelation since he arrived for around 3.5 million pounds. His goalscoring ability is outstanding and his knack of being in the right place when the ball is whipped across the front of goal scream that he could develop into a truly outstanding striker if he works at it.
He does have weaknesses in his general play that will hinder his progression through the tiers of the game, his passing and dribbling can be erratic as you find with many young wide players and so the question is where does he see himself playing in 2 or 3 years, wide player or striker?
I see him as a striker, but to be a good one he needs to become stronger to allow him not to be bullied by high end central defenders and he needs to work on his passing.
The reason I would consider offers for him are his value within Scottish football has a ceiling that it can't be far off from hitting and I don't see him as currently having the technical skills to cope with Champions League football as a wide player. Many of those chances he buries so well for us domestically are few and far between in the Champions League. Unfortunately for us and him high quality defenders don't go to sleep as often as those we face domestically so if he isn't scoring then his overall contribution would need to jump significantly.
Any offer would have to be good and contain various additions as he is a player who if he chooses the right club can fulfil his ambitions of going up levels. I just think he will need to take those levels in steps to achieve his goals.
Mikey Johnston
Young Mikey is a gifted player, blessed with some real natural ability but I honestly feel that no matter what becomes of him during this loan period in Portugal his future needs a different path away from Celtic. With Jota, Maeda and Haksabanovic all options on the left side there is no sign of Mikey coming back and getting 25+ games a season for us even if he is fully fit.
Hopefully this spell in Portugal will really open his eyes as to the volume of opportunities that are available beyond Scottish football, many of which offer a chance to play in a more technically based game which would hopefully benefit him in terms of his fitness. Moves to Portugal or The Netherlands would be high on my list as I think both countries offer great possibilities for a player like him.
Like all young players we have had I would be delighted to see him go and do well, even potentially come back down the line but right now I think the only clear reason to keep him on the books is to meet quotas. That's not a good reason to keep anyone who has yet to really have a chance at making a name for themselves.
THE REST
We have others who would be worth considering offers for, players like Turnbull, Mooy, Hazard (back from loan) and any of the other players who make up the bench more often than not, but as a club aren't in a position to retain 22 really high-quality players at the peak of their play so it really is vital that the youth system starts doing what it's there to do and giving the young players a platform to progress from.
The youth system should be our best chance of getting players in who have a really high ceiling of potential but as it stands there are a few decent prospects coming through, but no one who I've seen that really excites. It is at the point where the club really needs to take some hard decisions on what to do with it because the players who have shown something that suggest they could become good players can't get out the door fast enough.
There are 3 players of the ones who are liable to have significant interest in them that absolutely must be kept for next season unless the offer is obscene, and the player makes it abundantly clear they want out. Carter-Vickers, Jota and O'Riley. Those 3 players have the ability to do more for us in the Champions League. If our recruitment is good and we get better players in and around these 3 then I think we would stand a good chance of turning good performances into points at that level.
RECRUITMENT CONSIDERATIONS
The fun part......
This will be part 2 and will hopefully be completed and up by the 2nd of November.
Thanks for reading
R
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