Celtic ended up stronger but Board cost us Champions League spot
Has Celtic ended the window stronger than we entered it? Yes we have, but the same old boardroom failures are still evident…
On the conclusion of each and every transfer window, we can measure our success in the recruitment process by asking one simple question, and that is:
Has Celtic ended the window stronger than we entered it?
Historically it would be resounding no, but as we reflect on the 2026 summer transfer window that has now closed, we can say with confidence that we’ve massively improved our playing squad over the course of the past few months.
We’ve lost the likes of Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Arne Engels, all key first team players, whilst Kelechi Iheancho and Marcelo Saracchi who were both highly influential in the title run in have also moved on despite their own desire to stay at Celtic.
But to counter that loss, we’ve added Camilo Duran, and Kasper Hogh, two champions league proven strikers for a combined £17 million, as well as Egyptian World Cup star Haissem Hassan who cost a reported £9 million.
In midfield we added German under 21 international Mika Baur for £6 million, and spent £3.4 million on promising Dutch youngster Joel Van Der Berg. Danish midfielder Oliver Sorensen has also arrived on loan from Serie A side Parma to give our midfield an extra boost of quality.
Highly rated Chelsea striker Shumaira Mheuka and fellow blues teenager Landon Emenalo have also arrived on loan to bolster our ranks, as has Swiss right back Jordan Lotomba, and English goalkeeper Sam Johnstone to give our squad a more solid look heading into the 2026/27 campaign.
Despite this mixture of quality and potential arriving through the Celtic Park doors, the same problems that have plagued our club in recent transfer windows has reared its ugly head once again.
Several targeted players were well within our grasp, and yet again we failed to act.
The likes of Niko Sigur was keen to join the club, and let’s not forget the fiasco that was the Marcelo Saracchi saga, but yet again the club failed to act upon deals that were there for the taking.
Lithuanian International Gvidas Gineitis was also within our grasp but probably due to our disastrous Champions League capitulation in Linz after being 4-0 ahead in the tie, any move for the Torino midfielder was rendered dead in the water.
Perhaps if he had been signed BEFORE the playoff matches against LASK things would have been different?
Let’s not forget the goalkeeping dilemma, which despite it being known that we needed a new man between the sticks, it took us until the last 48 hours of the transfer window to sign Wolves Keeper Sam Johnstone on a loan deal.
These are all the same problems we’ve encountered in recent transfer windows and yes. it may get airbrushed a little because of our terrific bits of business, but the same old failures are still highly evident.
Celtic don’t want to spend the hoarded cash, now sitting at around £100m, so they were only willing to spend transfer incoming coming in the door. If Champions League qualification was automatic for the Scottish Champions that would be fine. But there was £40m – sitting waiting to be lifted and due to Celtic’s lack of defensive midfielders – someone like Gvidas Gineitis for instance – that money was thrown away.
Chris Sutton called it correctly all summer long and unfortunately he was proven to be spot on. The transfer business for the Champions League qualifiers has to be done at the start of the window to give us the best possible chance.
So the Celtic squad as it looks today looks stronger but when it mattered most, in Linz under a fortnight ago, it was fatally weaker as far as our Champions League chances were concerned. Yes we can blame the players and guys like Luke McCowan, Tony Ralston and Dane Murray got plenty of stick, particularly the unfortunate former Dundee man.
But the very fact that they were on the park at all that night shows how little Martin O’Neill had to work with away to LASK. That isn’t his fault, or Luke’s. It’s the fault of the decision makers at the club. The ones who make the same mistake time and time again and never realising the sums of money and the prestige for Celtic Football Club that is lost by their failed strategy.
As per the banner the North Curve held up at the Falkirk game…
