KEY POINTS
- At Parkhead, Celtic may try to strengthen their goalkeeping staff in the winter transfer window of 2024.
- The 2023–24 Scottish Premiership team led by Brendan Rodgers has had a strong start, but they have already lost in both the Champions League and Europe, underscoring the need for more support.
- Although the Bhoys have been linked to a £4 million transfer for a Portugal U21 international, they may decide to prioritize adding a goalkeeper.
Celtic may want to bolster their goalkeeping staff in the winter transfer window of 2024 as transfer insider Dean Jones provides an internal update on possible activity at Parkhead in the new year.
While Brendan Rodgers will be happy with his team’s start in the Scottish Premiership for the 2023–24 season, he will also be disappointed by their early elimination from European play for the second year in a row.
After winning the Viaplay Cup and Premiership double in 2021–2022 and adding the Scottish Cup to their collection the following season, Celtic is under pressure to maintain their recent domestic success. The Bhoys may choose to improve their roster in advance of the second half of the season by making use of the 2024 January transfer window, which starts in a few weeks.
Once more, Celtic crashes out of Europe
In the summer of 2023, Ange Postecoglou left Celtic for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, therefore Celtic needed to select a capable replacement who could continue the Glasgow giants’ recent winning streak. The Hoops resorted to their former manager, Aaron Rodgers, who left Celtic Park early in 2019 to become the manager of Leicester City. There, he won the FA Cup and two Premier League fifth-place finishes before leaving the position in April 2023.
Celtic supported Rodgers by adding a number of players during the summer transfer window of 2023, including midfielder Odin Thiago Holm, winger Luis Palma, and center-backs Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke.In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, journalist Dean Jones referred to Palma and Hyun-jun Yang as “emerging heroes” (18th November). But the Bhoys also lost important players Carl Starfelt and Jota to Celta Vigo and Al-Ittihad, respectively.
Celtic will be unhappy with their early Viaplay Cup defeat at the hands of Kilmarnock, despite their stellar domestic start to the 2023–24 season. Despite having played one fewer game than second-place Rangers, Rodgers’ team leads the Scottish Premiership table by eight points. In the meanwhile, Celtic’s Scottish Cup run begins when they host Buckie Thistle of the Highland League at Parkhead in January 2024.
It hasn’t all been sunshine and butterflies in the Champions League, though. With just one point from a 2-2 home tie with the La Liga team in October, Celtic is sure to finish last in a group that also includes Atletico Madrid, Lazio, and Feyenoord. After losing to Lazio on November 28, the Hoops were relegated to the bottom of the league and would not be able to advance to the Europa League knockout stages after Christmas if they were to finish third in their group.
Dean Jones on possible transfer dealings for Celtic
Jones claims that after witnessing the side’s collapse in Champions League football, Rodgers has recently made references to improving the caliber of his team. A new goalkeeper will reportedly be the top priority, but outfield upgrades are also necessary, according to the transfer insider. Smith stated to GIVEMESPORT:
“I believe that improving the Celtic team’s caliber will be essential. Recently, Rodgers has made references to it himself. For Celtic, the numbers are there, but the quality isn’t. More than anything, I believe you realize this when you watch Champions League games and realize that, for the most part, they’re just not even close. They will thus search for athletes who have what it takes to advance them. While getting a new goalkeeper will be top priority, this team also has to improve on the outfield.
News of a Celtic move
It makes sense that Celtic would think about their possible business going into the new year, with the winter transfer window drawing near. The defending Scottish champions are intensifying their efforts to bring in a new goalkeeper during the January transfer window of 2024, according to Football Insider.
In order to compete with Joe Hart at Parkhead and offer cover, Rodgers is hoping to sign a veteran “keeper.” According to the same report, Celtic’s first objective in the winter transfer window is to sign a stopper; but, the Hoops are willing to hold out until the conclusion of the 2023–2024 season if they are unable to reach an amicable agreement.
The former European Cup champions are reportedly attempting to finalize a deal for Tiago Araujo for the opening of the January window, according to The Telegraph. The 22-year-old has made an impact for Estoril in the 18 months since leaving Benfica, playing as a left-back and left midfielder. Celtic has made inquiries about Araujo and is thinking about offering the Portugal U21 international £4 million.
Center-back Liam Scales, whose current contract expires in the summer of 2025, has disclosed that he thinks the Hoops would extend an offer to him.
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