2022 Starts With Three Signings At Celtic, And Rumours Of More Transfers To Come.

Yesterday we made a great start to this transfer window as we completed the first three signings, those from Japan, those which have been long trailed and long planned.

But there are rumours that there are more to come with the club linked with several moves in several positions along with talk that we’re going to move to make the Carter Vickers deal permanent.

The talk is that we’re looking at a wide player and another defender; the wide player most of us can well understand, but with Christopher Jullien about to return to the team the need for reinforcements at the back is harder to credit, unless it’s at left back.

Still, the manager clearly has his own ideas and his own plans and there is a lot of trust and faith in his judgement. The fans believe and they get that he is the architect of this rebuild. If he does decide to buy another defender, supporters will be willing to back whatever it is that he is thinking. The club does need cover in all areas, after all.

The player who’s name surfaced yesterday was the playmaker Zinedine Ferhat; he’s an Algerian international and an attacking midfielder, available for a knock-down sum because his contract will expire in the summer. He currently plays for Nimes.

Constant rumours link us with a move for Hearts defender John Souttar; he was in talks with Blackburn last week and it seems more than probable that his next destination will be England. The question as to whether he’d get into our defence has to be asked … and I don’t think the answer would be one that the player would like too much.

I think if Souttar was to sign for Celtic he’d have to understand that it was as a backup.

This is especially true when one considers the news that we are likely to try and do the deal for Carter Vickers before January ends. That makes good sense; he has looked a real find and the manager will want to be sure that we’re not trying to tie up more than one of our loanees on a permanent deal in the summer, or that will swallow up the kitty for then.

As I will write later, this might be the most significant winter window since 1997. That sounds ridiculous, but in fact there are only a couple of others which were obvious efforts either to decide a close issue or to claw us back into a tight race where we were behind.

This one feels significant because it is. The club seems to have its hunger for success back. The start has been excellent, and it looks like it is just the beginning.

The Rumour Guy is a Celtic fan and blogger from Glasgow.