THE lack of anxiety among Celtic supporters on transfer deadline day said it all. In more turbulent times, radio phone-ins would be swamped with nervous callers bemoaning the strength in depth of the squad, while the club's social media accounts would be swarmed by comments beseeching the board to do something. Anything.
Just as in January though, Celtic had their business done early in this window, and the routine sweeping aside of Ross County the previous night despite nine changes being made to the starting line-up was the perfect demonstration of the plethora of quality options now at Ange Postecoglou's disposal.
The late arrival of Danish midfielder Oliver Abildgaard made it nine signings in all for Celtic during this window, though three of those were already at the club last season on loan in the form of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota and Daizen Maeda.
The permanent deals secured for that trio, particularly the first two names on that list (Maeda's loan deal included a mandatory purchase clause), may well represent the best business done by Celtic during the summer. A notion shared by fans, and reflected in the jubilant scenes when Jota's post-season world tour finally ended with him returning to Glasgow to put pen to paper at long last.
The other eye-catching signings included the £3.75m capture of left-back Alexandro Bernabei from Lanus, though the form of Greg Taylor may mean it will be a little while before the return Celtic will get for that not insignificant investment is known, as well as the cut-price deal to bring attacker Sead Haksabanovic in from Rubin Kazan.
The Montenegrin's admittedly brief cameo appearance against Ross County has already excited supporters, and while more than 15 minutes of evidence will be required to judge the 23-year-old, he already looks a handy addition to Celtic's already potent attacking arsenal.
At the other end, Moritz Jenz was brought in at centre-back on a season-long loan from French side Lorient, and the big German has proven adept in both boxes so far in his short Celtic career, scoring twice already.
The midfield options have been supplemented by the arrival of a man Postecoglou has worked with before in the shape of compatriot Aaron Mooy, who brings a wealth of experience, a fine range of passing and a good deal of bite into the middle of the park for Celtic, qualities that are becoming more apparent the fitter the Australian gets.
There was also some experienced cover brought in for Joe Hart in the goalkeeping position, with Dundee United’s former number one Ben Siegrist recruited, much to the subsequent detriment of the Tannadice outfit.
Given the quantity and quality of new arrivals, there was always going to be a need to move some other players on, with those who were never in danger of threatening Postecoglou's first team being told early on they were more than welcome to seek out other opportunities.
Some were easier to jettison than others. The losses of Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic, who decided to move on of their own volition, represented something of a blow. The losses of Albian Ajeti, Vasilis Barkas, Boli Bolingoli, Christopher Jullien and Ismaila Soro, less so.
In fairness to Jullien, the big defender had his fair share of highlights in a Celtic jersey, and but for the horrific knee injury he picked up prior to Postecoglou's arrival at the club, may well have had a better chance of impressing his new manager.
As it was, the £7m signing was moved on to Montpellier for around £1m, with Jenz looking like a more than ample replacement, and perhaps even something of an upgrade.
Liam Scales was loaned to Aberdeen, with Celtic's refusal to cede to Jim Goodwin's request to include an option to buy clause within the deal hinting that his career at the club may well not be over just yet if he impresses at Pittodrie.
Of the youngsters to move on, the most notable was Karamoko Dembele, who never quite lived up to his early wonder-boy billing at Celtic Park. Perhaps the move to Brest can reignite his once hugely promising career.
What may prove to be a hugely important but often overlooked factor in this window was the fact that Celtic did not lose any of their key assets, with rumours circulating throughout the summer about the likes of Josip Juranovic and Matt O'Riley.
Juranovic was linked with glamour moves to Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United, while former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was credited with an interest in taking O'Riley to Leicester City. Both men remained in Glasgow though, and all-in-all, Postecoglou will feel his squad is sufficiently tooled up to fight on four fronts.
Whether he has the tools at his disposal to make an impact at Champions League level, remains to be seen, but unlike some of his predecessors, the Celtic manager will have little cause to grouse about the backing he has received from the board in the transfer market.
