Let’s make a list of the things which we needed to happen in the January window.
And let’s see further to that which of these things we got.
First, we needed to strengthen certain areas of the pitch. The left side. The forward line. The central midfield.
On those fronts, all good, including two midfield signings which have bootstrapped the entire team at a time when injuries to key players would have put us in trouble otherwise.
The decisions to sign Ideguchi and Riley look like genius.
Hatate can play there too, but it’s clear the manager wants him on the left at some point.
Which is why we’ve allowed Montgomery to leave on loan.
The decision not to sign a left back is down to the good performances of Juranovic there, Greg Taylor and perhaps most surprisingly the emergence of Liam Scales. It’s not an immediate area of concern.
The central defence, we didn’t touch because we didn’t have to. Jullien is back in training with the squad and we resisted any bids for Stephen Welsh. We currently have the best defence in the league.
No wonder the boss didn’t think it needed messing with.
And we brought in a striker, of course, and he may yet play a role tomorrow night and especially if Dermot Desmond dispatches the private jet, as he should, to pick the boy up and bring him back to Glasgow in some style.
That would make him feel valued and strengthen the hand of the manager at the same time.
Maeda will be crucial for the second half of the season.
One clownish Ibrox site has today actually published an article entitled “January transfer window round up, advantage Rangers.” I mean, sweet Jesus, have those jokers seen what our signings have already done? Have they noticed their league lead has shrunk to the point where we can top them if we win tomorrow night?
Our club did everything right here. Almost everything.
I’m still smarting at the idea of us letting the big guy from Sheffield Wednesday go to Belgium on the same terms as we allowed Hendry to, with a buy-out option in the deal.
Even if the manager doesn’t fancy the guy, if he goes over there and proves himself a player we have a saleable asset to fall back on … and we might stupidly have traded that option away.
That aside, this window ticked all the boxes. We still have some fringe players to move on, but there’s a chance of doing that as a number of transfer windows around Europe are still open.
For me, I’m glad that Ajeti and Soro are still at the club for the moment because the way our injury issues have been going I wouldn’t be surprised to need one or both of them before this campaign ends, but realistically no-one at Celtic will fight to keep them if offers come in.
To have gotten to where we are in the space of two windows – a rebuilt squad, brimming with potential and purpose, challenging on all fronts and a trophy already in the bag – this has been absolutely remarkable, but whilst the summer seemed to have a bit of a frenetic quality to it you can see the progress in how swiftly, and easily, this window went.
Even when we suffered the setback of losing out on McCree, we did not mess about as we’d have done in previous years, because we had the plans in motion early and that included a backup option.
That’s how well organised this was. That’s how good a window it has been, that even when we took a blow we got up, dusted ourselves down and moved forward.
Congratulations to everyone at Celtic for how this went.
It is the best January window we’ve had in a long, long time.
But can we beat Sevco ?
We sure can Jim….our fans will help them along….
I still don’t get your point on our loan to the Belgians. You’ve got to sensibly assume a few things:
– Celtic had no intention of using him and wanted to get him out on loan;
– The player wanted to go and play football somewhere;
– The loaning club insisted on the right to buy clause, just as we ourselves have when loaning countless players. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have taken him on loan at all (leaving him and Celtic unhappy).
If they play him, improve him and then exercise the right to buy. It’s quite right that he becomes their saleable asset. They’ve made the improvement. We made no improvement and he would not be improving at all without the loan.
Same with Jota. If we exercise the right to buy and he’s caught the eye of a wealthier club come the summer time, it’s quite right that we and not Benfica should benefit from the profit.
The only thing that can complicate this matter is if the player actively wishes to return to their parent club. In Jota’s case this is possible. Yes, he’s been sent to us with an option to buy which suggests clearly to him and everyone else that at the time of the deal, Benfica saw no value in him to their squad. But, there’s been a change of manager there, so that may tempt him back to the club he’s supported his whole life. Nothing to be bitter about.
But, getting players that our football operation sees no value in (at least partly) off the payroll is a good thing.