It's been a relentless summer of recruitment for Ange Postecoglou as the champions gear up for a the start of their new campaign against Aberdeen on Sunday.
As soon as the curtain came down on the title-winning season, attention quickly turned to transfer talks with the club moving quickly to secure Daizen Maeda, Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers on permanent deals after successful loans spells. Since then it has been non-stop for Postecoglou and the Parkhead powerbrokers with Benjamin Siegrist, Alexandro Bernabei, Aaron Mooy and Moritz Jenz all coming through the door with the squad rapidly growing in depth and the Champions League group stage just around the corner.
With new arrivals comes big decisions on the futures of some of the fringe men in Glasgow's east end as the club take a brief pause in their wheeling and dealing and turn attention to the Dons. Some players look unlikely to get a shot at the first-team this season, while others will be on big wages that Postecoglou could use for further deals before the window shuts.
But who could be heading out of Celtic Park? Record Sport takes a look at seven of the Scottish champions' forgotten men who are likely to depart Paradise this summer if suitors can be found.
Mikey Johnston
Mikey Johnston signed a five-year contract with the Hoops in December 2019 as he burst onto the scene at Celtic. Since then injuries have derailed his career in Glasgow's east end. The 23-year-old's game time when fit has been limited, with his last run out of any kind coming back in March against Dundee United in a 14 minutes cameo.
His last Scottish Premiership start came all the way back in December in the win over St Mirren. This prompted Aberdeen to declare an interest back in January but it’s believed the winger wanted to prove his worth in Glasgow.
Now fresh indications of a loan exit for Johnston have emerged, with a reunion with former boss Ronny Deila at Standard Liege touted. Postecoglou will have to decide if he gives the forward the chance to meet his potential at Celtic, or allow him to prove his fitness elsewhere.
James McCarthy
McCarthy has struggled to make any impact at Celtic since arriving at his boyhood heroes. The 31-year-old was limited to cameos off the bench in the run to the Scottish Premiership title, with his last start coming back in the Boxing Day win over St Johnstone.
The 31-year-old still has three years remaining on his Parkhead contract, but the arrival of the likes of Aaron Mooy is likely to push the Ireland star further down the pecking order. The move hasn't worked out for anyone and Postecoglou could attempt to negotiate and exit for the player to create space in his squad.
Christopher Jullien
The decision had already been made on the Frenchman, before suddenly it wasn't. Jullien has spent much of the past 18 months injured after a collision and made just one appearance under Postecoglou when he was back to full fitness.
He looked to be bringing the curtain down on his time in Glasgow's east end with a move to Schalke. However, a loan exit couldn't be agreed after Jullien jetted out for talks with the newly promoted Bundesliga side.
The 29-year-old has been a regular in pre-season amid the injury to Carl Starfelt, but is likely to drop back out of the picture when the Swede returns to fitness. The arrival of Mortiz Jenz also looks to have pushed Jullien out of the picture, and Postecoglou faces a choice on whether to stick or twist following his pre-season outings. However, it’s more than likely Jullien will leave in this window – if a club can be found for him.
Osaze Urhoghide
The defender arrived from Sheffield Wednesday last summer and was officially unveiled as the first capture of the Postecoglou era. However, having penned a pre-contract from the then-Championship side it appears the Australian had little to do with the deal.
Since his arrival the 22-year-old has made just one first-team appearance, in the Europa League dead rubber with Real Betis, before being shipped out on loan to KVO Oostende. The Belgian outfit opted not to pick up an option to buy on the deal, and the centre-back is back at Lennoxtown this summer.
£7million signing Jullien has struggled to dislodge centre-back pairing Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers, and therefore another loan exit would be the expected decision from the boss this summer.
Liam Shaw
Another player who was signed on a pre-contract from Sheffield Wednesday before Postecoglou's Parkhead arrival, and who has struggled for game time. Shaw was mainly limited to Colt team appearances before his loan move to Motherwell in January.
While The Steelmen earned a Europa Conference League spot last season, the 21-year-old was a fringe man under Graham Alexander – making just eight appearances for the Lanarkshire side. Shaw made two starts immediately following his move, before being limited to cameos off the bench.
He has made just two appearances for Celtic so far. It looks too early for him to get his chance at Parkhead, and Postecoglou will likely be assessing the loan options for the player once again.
Scott Robertson
Robertson has spent the last two campaigns away from Celtic on loan in the English lower leagues, with loan moves at Gillingham, Doncaster Rovers, and Crewe Alexandra. His time at Crewe in League One last term was hampered by injury but aged just 20 he has 57 EFL appearances under his belt.
With his contract up at the end of next season, Robertson will be hoping for reversal of fortunes at Celtic this team and to make his first-team breakthrough. However, with an already crowded midfield picture at Parkhead another loan exit will almost certainly be on the cards.
Albian Ajeti
The £5million given to West Ham to land Ajeti seems like a distant memory. And it's definitely one Celtic fans will want to forget.
With a goal return of just three last term, Postecoglou clearly isn't a fan either. His last appearance came back in December against Real Betis, before Giorgios Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda stepped ahead of the frontman in the Parkhead pecking order. The club will be keen to forget the misstep this summer. A loan or permanent exit would appear to be the best option for the player and the club if a suitor can be found.
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