If We Sign The Winger, Assume Departures At Celtic. But Don’t Panic Over Who They’ll Be.

Sead Haksabanovic is on his way. Or is he?

The simple answer is that we do not know and that we might have a better idea when Ange sits tomorrow in front of the mainstream media tomorrow for his weekly press conference.

He has denied stories before where everyone seemed to think deals were done.

In the absence of facts, are a lot of blank spaces.

Unfortunately, we are surrounded by people who cannot sit still without trying to fill them in. This has led some Celtic sites to conclude that if we’re buying this guy then someone’s definitely going.

The thing is, they are probably right.

But they should stop over-reacting and over-thinking it.

Of course we’re going to lose some players in this window, the manager has been saying it right from the start. And since the start we’ve talked about how the club wanted at least one more player for the wide role.

So why are some people hitting the panic button because of stories that we might be on the brink of closing just such a transfer deal?

We have, it seems to me, become very easy to spook in these last couple of years. Were we always this timid? Were we always so inclined to jump every time there’s a knock on the door? Look at some of the forums tonight, loaded down with talk that because we’re going for this guy then there must be a key player heading out the door.

Some have even speculated that it’s Jota. Jesus wept. Others think that we’re bringing in a winger because we’re selling Juranovic. Which makes no sense at all, of course, but seems logical to them somehow although I struggle to comprehend it.

Let’s focus on Jota for a minute, and ponder the idea that we’re about to flog a guy we’ve literally only just signed, a matter of weeks ago, and who is the outstanding footballer in this country right now. Where do people get this stuff? Can they actually believe it? Can they imagine the shock waves that would send through the fan-base and coaching staff?

The manager has identified key areas where he still thinks we need strength in depth. The left side of midfield has long been supposed to be one of them. Why the sudden surprise if we’re moving in that direction? It really doesn’t come as much of a shock.

I do wonder if it’s the key position which needs filled but let’s surmise for a moment – and we’ll be right to – that it won’t be a Jota or Abada or Juranovic who leaves. That it’ll be the guys we’ve already guessed; Ajeti and Mikey Johnston.

Now, Ajeti’s departure frees up a space for a striker. Imagine that’s Maeda playing through the middle, as the backup to our main two. We can play Jota and Abada wide left and right, but that left side looks a bit bare if something happens to our Portuguese boy … so replace Ajeti with Maeda and Johnston with the new guy … that fits perfectly.

We’re in the midst of what will be a long and tough campaign both domestically and in Europe. The manager wants to have enough tools available to do that job. A 25 man squad, on which we can depend in every game, is what we’re heading for here and in the context of that I think this signing makes perfect sense, and will add further strength to us.

Yeah players will leave before the window shuts, of course they will. But it will be the ones the manager no longer has a use for. Not those who are crucial to the plan.