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Celtic’s January Signing Plans Are Well Underway. There Will Be No Mistakes This Time.

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Reading Brendan’s comments from the AGM and following on that with what he said yesterday, it seems pretty clear that the plans for the January window are well advanced. According to the man himself, the targets have been identified and the deals are already being worked on.

For once it appears that the lessons have sunk in. The club is ready.

The papers linked us with the Swansea right-back last week, just in time for him to sign a new deal which let them write a “snubbed” story about something they invented. They have no idea where the focus of our efforts is.

I hear we’re looking at bringing in at least one striker; I say “at least” one because clearly there are some concerns over Griffiths.

I’d say he has until that window opens to prove his fitness to people inside Parkhead.

Beyond that, he’ll have no guarantees. He can either be a main choice or a backup to other people. Those are his options, unless he chooses to leave.

I wonder if we still need a midfielder.

The midfield is the strongest part of the team, and with Nir Bitton coming back to fitness we look very, very powerful in that area of the pitch. The recent performances by Christie have been a revelation; he will take some shifting. McGregor’s form in more than one position has made him a guaranteed first pick. He will be impossible to move. Ntcham has signed a new deal. Brown is the captain. And how can you simply ignore Tom Rogic?

It would cost a fortune to find someone better than all of those guys.

We want first team capable players, not bench warmers. We are not Sevco, scrambling desperately for more options. This is why the summer was so disappointing; how do you improve on what we have within the budget we’re playing with? It can be done – Ntcham proves it – but it’s hard.

Central defence will be a priority, along with the forward line. I think a right back could wait until the summer, as well as the wide player the manager has prioritised. Look for the usual name there; he’s very much still on the radar and in people’s minds.

Don’t forget that we’re not just building for the second half of the season here. The manager and the board are well aware that next season’s Champions League qualifying campaign is going to be just as tough as this one was. We’re preparing for that, now.

This avoids any of the nonsense we went through at the start of this campaign.

It may mean that we don’t get big signings in the summer; I would accept that if the manager did his building now and told us that was the plan. Our concern, our very legitimate concern, was that the team was moving backwards … the manager will not let it happen.

I am very encouraged by the noises coming out of Celtic Park right now.

The club has come through a bad period, and everyone is back on the same page. Everyone has been busy behind the scenes. The lessons have been learned. Dermot Desmond has cracked the whip and reminded everyone what the job is … and who the opposition is.

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