There are just hours left of the January transfer window and in terms of incomings, it looks set to be a quiet afternoon and evening for Ange Postecoglou and Celtic.
The Scottish champions have already bolstered their squad with transfer business conducted both swiftly and professionally, as four new recruits signed on the dotted line.
Yuki Kobayashi was the first deal to be agreed and that business was conducted at the end of November as he joined from Vissel Kobe on a five-year deal. The lengthy contract points to a star for the future for Celtic, but in his two appearances to date, Kobayashi has looked a calm and composed figure at the centre of defence.
After an impressive World Cup showing for Canada, Alistair Johnston was next as he switched to Parkhead from CF Montreal for a fee of around £3million. He already looks to be a fan favourite and his combative style of defending looks the perfect fit for Scotland’s top-flight. He was thrown in at the deep end on his debut with a derby fixture away at Ibrox his first taste of Scottish football, and he handled the occasion expertly.
Johnston looks the perfect replacement for the departing Josip Juranovic, who also stole the headlines following stellar showings in Qatar with Croatia as they ultimately landed a third-place medal. The 27-year-old full-back exited for the Bundesliga in Germany as he linked up with Union Berlin for a fee of around £7.5million.
Celtic are still fighting for silverware in all domestic competitions in Scotland so squad rotation could be key for Postecoglou. The further additions of midfielder Tomoki Iwata and striker Oh Hyeon-gyu will likely fit into this squad category, instead of starters, but the pair will be sure to fight for their place.
Oh will be aiming to push the league’s top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi, especially with Giorgos Giakoumakis looking set for the Celtic exit door.
The Greek forward has been linked with Atlanta United and Urawa Red Diamonds in recent weeks but he is yet to agree a deal.
Updating on the striker, Postecoglou told reporters today: “We are getting to the tail end of it one way or another and we will get a conclusion in the next 24 hours. Nothing concluded yet, just ongoing discussions.”
The likes of Yosuke Ideguchi and Oliver Abildgaard could also move on along with others after Postecoglou signed four players in January.
The Celtic manager added: “We have already brought in players to insulate us if guys who have not played a lot of football for us find other opportunities. It has to suit all parties obviously. We will see what happens over the next few hours.
“Anyone who is playing football and has been a meaningful contributor won’t be leaving in this window. Potentially the ones who leave are ones who haven’t had a lot of regular game time. There are four or five in the squad, I am not going to talk about individuals.”
