GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JUNE 03: (L-R) Peter Lawwell, Dermot Desmond and Michael Nicholson watch on during a Scottish Cup final match between Celtic and Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Hampden Park, on June 03, 2023, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
As everyone in Celtic cyberspace doubtless knows by now, the transfer window doesn’t officially open until the first of July.
Which means that, for the next four weeks, we’re going to have to endure a lot of nonsensical garbage appearing in the media about players at our club, about players we’re linked with and everything else. And although the talk won’t stop once July comes, it doesn’t actually mean anything until then, because we can’t do any business unless it’s in the free market.
But there are things we can do — and do right now, or at least over the next few weeks — that will make July go a hell of a lot smoother when it finally rolls around. And where I’m a bit encouraged today is in reports suggesting that we’re on the brink of trying to get some of those things sorted out.
I’m thinking, for example, about the future of the manager.
Sky Sports has an interview with him today in which he says he’s going to sit down with Desmond soon to sort that out. Good. If that’s done before the window officially opens, it gives everyone involved a clear sense of where the club is headed and what we’re planning to do. Rodgers can go to new signings and tell them what the vision is — not just for next season, but for the longer term.
This is one of the most important things we could do this summer, because if you can offer new players the sense that they’re not just signing to be part of a long-term project, it’s a massive selling point.
If you can convince signings that they’ll be part of something evolving, something the manager is sticking around to build, something we’re aiming to improve on year after year — that’s attractive.
Especially to the kind of footballers we want to attract.
We’ve all been sweating over the manager’s future. We’ve all said how good it would be if he could sit down with the board and come up with a contract extension that shows he believes he’s being backed — and will continue to be.
Nothing would lift the club more than that. And of course, once you get that commitment from the boss, it becomes much easier to get the same from the top players in the squad who you’re trying to convince to stay.
Because beyond the talks about the manager, there’s also talk about at least three core first-team players: Maeda, Nicolas Kühn, and of course, Reo Hatate. And the word is that the boss wants to get all of them tied down on longer-term deals.
You’ll have a hell of a job doing that if there’s uncertainty about the manager’s future. But if you give those players that kind of continuity, there’s no reason they wouldn’t sign on for another year or two.
I understand Maeda might want to go and secure one last big contract somewhere else. I understand that Kühn and Reo might want to leave for the same reason.
But all of them can be convinced to give us another campaign or two before that becomes an issue for them.
As far as I’m concerned, this is the business of the summer — until the window opens. We’re all looking forward to it, eager to see what the club can conjure up, what the manager and the scouting team have been working on, and whether we’ll push the boat out to bring in some quality and raise the level of the squad.
We now know that our Champions League fate involves a final qualifying round tie against an unseeded team.
That makes the task straightforward. That’s not to say it’s going to be easy — it won’t be. But we won’t be complacent either. Still, before any of that, we can sit the boss down, get his future sorted out, and on the back of that, deal with the futures of the players he wants to keep working with.
If we can get that kind of certainty, then when the window does open, it’s genuinely about building. It’s genuinely about getting stronger. Because too often we’ve been content to stand still — and it would be incredible if this was the year we decided to progress, to really push forward with the full strength of this club.
We cannot do that while uncertainty still exists.
So although July is the official opening of the window, June is already shaping up to be a pretty interesting — and pretty important — month in its own right. If we emerge from it with the major issues settled — the manager’s future and that of our top players — then I think we’ll already be in a very strong position.
Especially considering we’ve also got a couple of free agents tied up and are, as far as I know, looking at a handful more.
This could end up being the best-prepared pre-season we’ve had in a long time — if we put these pieces in place. And I’m very encouraged to hear that the boss intends to do exactly that by sitting down with Desmond and the board, first to sort his own situation, and then the futures of others.
In contrast to January — that absolutely shambolic situation where we sold our main striker without having a replacement lined up — this has the appearance of joined-up thinking.
Let’s hope we see more of it over the next couple of months.
Glad to see you mentioned in rapping up the Brendan sits down with Desmond “and the board” Great for Brendan to have a cosy chat with Desmond but if this excluded the dangerous duo I would be concerned that they put a spanner in the works again cos noses out of joint at being marginalised
Frank, the way I see the situation is that DD pulls the strings above all others, and what he decides is gospel and no one will challenge it. Yes Sir, no Sir, three bags full Sir.
frank, unfortunately as long as PL and his invisible glove puppet are in situ, rightly or wrongly the perception, and in my personal opinion is accurate, will be negative.
PL has too much history of poor transfer dealings and Mikey boy has been trained in his maker’s image. The fact that the Board actively pursue a net profit transfer window EVERY Window shows the measure of their vision.
This situation is made unbelievable to the average supporter when we have such a large Cash reserve on hand with no indication as to why, against best business practice, the board feel comfortable carrying such a large, Publicly observable amount of disposable money that inevitably will have selling Clubs inflating their demands.
I do not have much faith that this particular Window is going to be the one that really bucks the trend.
I know I will be in the minority but I don’t want Brendan to sign an extension. I accept the success and trophies, but I do not enjoy his product. The excitement going to the game is diminished by the slow probing boring football he overseas. Celtic teams I grew up watching didn’t dominate as heavily as now, but there was flair and a desire to entertain which got the crowd bouncing. Surely football is still an entertainment industry, if not, it’s in trouble. Games like the Europa final are getting more common now and I cannot watch that nonsense. Brendan did not manage to sort the obvious issues after the new year game. Our defence continues to be nervous and inadequate at crossed balls and set pieces. He seems a nice good man but Celtic Park has lost the pace and flair. Players seem hesitant to cross a ball or play a potential defence splitting pass for fear of the ball turning over. Celtic had 80% possession in the final so they set the pace and it was woefully slow with no movement off the ball. These same issues marked Rodgers first spell here as well but many may have forgotten.
Dan, we have scored an average of three goals per game throughout the season, that does not suggest a lack of flair to me. I watched a lot of good football from Celtic during the season and, with a few exceptions, it has overall been a very acceptable campaign. I am looking forward to next season and for Brendan to be in charge of the team for as long as possible. Here we go for 10-in-a-row.
Cannot argue with his trophy count for sure but sometimes it has been pretty turgid as well…
Yet we had the late great Tommy Burns having his team playing scintillating football but winning the square root of fuck all save for a single goal Scottish Cup Final triumph over Airdrieonians…
Play stylish & win zilch or Play turgid & win the lot ?
It’s the latter for me any day of the week !
Is it feasible that Celtic are thinking of a European league, and there needs to be some sort of cash in the bank. I’m not a PL fan he’s taken more than enough from the club, as for DD I’m unsure I think he will wait it out and sell the club if the European league gets the go ahead.
If BR doesn’t commit to an extended contract then I believe he should go now, when players know that a manager is leaving at the end of the season it very seldom ends well, Liverpool under Klopp in 23/24 season were a good example, there have been other examples through the years.
Although the form since the start of this year has been pretty ordinary, I would still like him to sign a new contract, his record of success in Scotland has been up there with the best.
A new manager would be a gamble but a lame duck manager with one foot out the door, would be even more destabilising.
Here comes that feeling again. It’s the same every transfer window. Knowing we’ll be losing quality players and hoping they’ll be replaced with similar. This board are so full of hubris.
I am generally pro Rodgers but have to admit there has been so poor fare towards the end of the season. really slow back and sideways stuff even when 3 up at halftime in a few recent home games and virtually to risk to the outcome of the game the second half has been a snooze fest.
The last two games of the season said it all however this is down to the ultra negative tactics of the opposition. It is not at all easy to play against the low block so BR is not entirely to blame but I do think the possession at all costs approach has slowed us down.
We do need to find another way and that is down to the manager and coaches to do so.
Remember Brendan is managing and coaching a large squad without top class coaches alongside him. Set pieces, defensive shape etc. could be greatly improved with recruitment of the appropriate back-up staff.
Scottish Transfer window opens on June 12th as far as i’m aware.
I have a very simple method of working out where I feel Celtic need to strengthen. I write down our first eleven in sequence and leave a blank space where I have the slightest doubt if the player is Celtic class. The first three position tick the boxes, but then it’s not so straightforward.