Unless Celtic make some last minute signings, we will officially be closing this window significantly weaker than we entered it
Eric Knott 
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There are five full days remaining in this transfer window for Celtic, including today.
As things stand, the club have allowed two first team players to leave, and one has come in.
Kyogo is gone to Rennes, Alex Valle is gone to Como in Italy.
Kieran Tierney is returning to Celtic, this much is now confirmed.
When exactly he is returning is not confirmed.
If Celtic cannot strike a deal to bring him on loan until the end of the season, we have one available left back.
Greg Taylor.
Now imagine you are Greg Taylor.
The fact that Kieran Tierney is returning, you know in your heart that your 6 years service to the club will mean nothing if you are still at the club when Tierney arrives.
If fit, Tierney will be selected over Greg Taylor all day at Celtic, every day.
Do you think Greg Taylor will happily play second fiddle to Tierney?
After pretty much being first choice for 6 years?
Do you then think that Taylor is going to run through walls for us between now and the end of the season?
Knowing he has already been replaced?
Knowing that he will most likely leave Celtic as a result?
There is no mention of him signing a new contract.
Therefore, that leaves all of this up in the air.
Then, let’s just say Taylor does leave in the summer, Tierney, by default becomes the only available left back.
We are all well aware of his injury problems throughout his time at Arsenal.
So, the big question here is this, is Greg Taylor going to be offered a new contract?
And if he is, will he even want it?
Knowing that first team options, with a fit Kieran Tierney, will be limited?
These are the questions currently surrounding the left back position at Celtic.
We will wait until next Monday to see if a deal can be struck to bring Tierney to the club in this window.
As we’re well aware, we have allowed our first choice striker to leave in Kyogo Furuhashi, who is now confirmed as a Rennes player.
Thus far, there does not seem to be any sign of a replacement.
The main rumour circulating surrounds Matthias Kvistgaarden of Brondby.
And if his asking price is anything to go by, it will remain a rumour.
Apparently, Brondby have jacked up their asking price to £14 million.
Heart attack inducing figures for the likes of Nicholson and Lawwell.
So, barring a major shock, we can forget about him.
Unless Hagglesworth steps in and performs a miracle.
Thus far, Paul Tisdale, the football doctor, if that’s what he is, has performed surgery on the squad that has resulted in weakening it.
Bearing this in mind, he needs to perform Champions League season saving surgery on it in the next five days or so.
Otherwise, as Chris Sutton has put it, we have hit our Champions League ceiling.
Sutton seems to be the only journalist out there calling it like it is.
We take on Aston Villa tonight missing Kyogo and Daizen Maeda, who is facing a two match Champions League ban.
As we discussed in our podcast on Monday night, it will be interesting to see how we set up against the EPL side.
YouTube: The Hardest Part – Trinity Tims Podcast
Should we win this one, it will possibly make our knock-out pathway a lot easier.
But as things stand right now, unless Kieran Tierney is signed on loan before the end of this window, and a decent striker is acquired, we are going to end this window weaker than we entered it.
Considering what we’ve achieved this season, that makes no sense.
It will be criminal behaviour.
Those of you out there who think this window could be construed as a success if it closes that way, I’d say think again.
The clock is ticking.
Maybe the board will shock us and have a busy end to the end window, just like the last one?
Right now, that’s what we have to hope is going to happen.
Because the alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.
The alternative is finishing this window weaker than we entered it.
That would never happen.
Would it?
When you are changing our strategy to accommodate a higher calibre of players plus a reduction in the size of squad to facilitate that then it’s inevitable that cannot be achieved overnight.
Wouldn’t you agree?
For years our fans have been crying out for the above change in transfer strategy.
We need to take our opportunities when they arise to get to the end goal which is a smaller,higher quality squad.
Jota has strengthened the LW position and Tierney will do the same at LB.
A forward will be brought in either now or on loan if required while we wait for the quality BR wants.
I for one am prepared to be patient on this as the league is not in danger and I still think we will win the treble.
I remember hearing all this panic in the last window and we ended up breaking a long standing record transfer fee TWICE!!
Eric, Don Lawwell has previous for this situation. Before anyone pounces with ‘ ah, bit he’s only the Chairman, a figurehead who’s just there to pass around the coffee and biscuits’ if that was all we needed why bring Peter back ?Why not recruit someone from outside Celtic like the last figurehead? Why not let Peter enjoy his retirement ? The truth is that Peter never left the building. That’s why we have an invisible and silent CEO. Lawwell’s DNA is embedded in the Celtic hierarchy and that is why our Transfer dealings always end up the the same way, going to the wire, relying on loanees , paying over the odds because we prevaricate over price, playing brinksmanship always striving for Revenue neutral windows when we have a weak hand and have glaring deficiencies in the squad, allowing the squad size and quality to be downsized and degraded because we’ve had a look over the fence and the Tribute Act are receding ever further in our rear view mirror.
In almost 20 years think of how many Transfer Windows where we’ve been left wondering WTF is wrong with our Board, if we can see what’s wrong why can’t they and the only constant in all those years is Lawwell. Think of all the millions lost over that period because he thought he knew better than a succession of managers and coaches what the Team needed. Dozens of players that didn’t make the grade or fit in because someone with the keys to the safe and who had Played Football Manager thought he was Ancellotti, Mourhinio or the like. There he is still doing it. Through his proxies. He even tried to install his son in the chain of command as Head of Recruitment. That went well for us, didn’t it?
It WILL NOT change as long as he’s around or the placemen on the Board and in the Senior Managerial positions ( All recruited and/or promoted) owe their loyalties to him and not the Club.
Here we are, after the most successful European campaign in over a decade while the Board, through Peter, have now imposed an arbitrary ceiling on our ambitions and perhaps more crucially, endangered our ability to retain our League Title. ( the 13 points, 27 goals are no guarantee while we play in Scotland.VAR & MIBs can change that quickly enough while the other Side get their ‘pattern of assistance’ rejuvenated).
Give it a rest you!!
Couldn’t agree more with your comment SFA.
Nope. As long as the happy clappers place the performance of the Board above the requirements of the Team I will continue to call them out. £70million in the bank, £30+million on its way courtesy of the team’s efforts and the Board sanctions the sale of our no1 striker for €10million ( or so they claim, Rennes are saying £7.5),just because he had turned 30, wanted away and would soon have no resale value. He was under contract the Board didn’t have to give in to his agents demands. We are a Football Club not a hedge fund. Not even best governance having that much cash sitting in the bank.
Stevie (above) has it figured. From here, it is quality over quantity. We want to be competitive in Europe long term, yes? Then that’s the best approach, not bloating the squad with stop-gap signings just because no one else wants to sell their best players in Jan. When we can prove that we are a consistent performer in the CL, those quality signings become easier. There is strategy behind this guys, not just day to day needs. Let’s bash the board for having long term objectives and for not wasting the money on players that clubs are happy to get rid of? Geez, you’re like my kids when I get to the checkout – “But I want it!”.
Except us, of course, we have no issue whatsoever selling our best players in January….
Eric, Kyogo’s numbers were dropping, he wanted a move, he just didn’t look the same player, and he had little CL impact. It made complete sense to maximise that profit, considering our comfortable position domestically, and next CL stage assured. Idah now has more CL goals than Kyogo despite not starting the majority of them. And let’s be clear, Idah had a tremendous game last night. Consistent starts are what he needs – and to stay in the fecking box!