Celtic's Recruitment – Is Our Poor Reputation Justified?

Ross H takes a look at our transfer window activity

Well... Is it?

In the world of online media, forums, supporter pages, WhatsApp chats, red top toilet paper, YouTube content, podcasts, phone-ins, X, Bluesky and even in that dying art of a good old pub debate, or argument depending on how many pints have been sunk, I’ve heard it said that our recruitment is (insert your insult of preference) and that it needs ripped up and started again. I’ve heard it all… We need more data, we use too much data, Rodgers doesn’t have a good record with recruitment (have I read the Liverpool analysts book, yes… I have), who runs our recruitment, who the f**k is Dr.Football and why aren’t we courting Tony Bloom and letting a tin pot club like Hearts get his data. It becomes even more fun when someone asks what I do... and obviously I must have an opinion, and if I disagree with the person then deary me.

So, lets break down recruitment from this season with a look at who was sold and who was bought.

Oot The Door Went:

*Also, development fees made from the departures of Rocco Vata and Daniel Kelly who left at the end of their contracts that amounted to around 800k and some change.

Joining the party were:

Now on the face of things you look at the 2 lists and see 2 players who were big contributors depart in Matt O’Riley and Kyogo, but it should be 3 as Joe Hart isn’t named because he retired.

The rest were players that were of no real loss based on the volume of game time they had seen under Rodgers. I thought Iwata was one who still had a value to us, but at the same time I wasn’t shocked to see him go and I’m delighted to see him shining at Birmingham under Chris Davies. A future Celtic manager one day?

On the incoming side we have gained 2 players who on the volume of games you could now look at and class as nailed on starters. Kasper and Arne Engels. The rest have all had a decent amount of game time when they’ve been available and I have to say Sinisalo might only be the backup who has only had a few games, but I’m really impressed with him. So much so that I’d happily have seen him retain the gloves from now until the end of the season.

Overall though the list of players who have come in when compared to those who went out has a clear difference. Almost all of the players who have come in have been active and at times important. Injuries have obviously had an impact with Jota and Bernardo. That being said, I’m fairly confident in saying the output from those who have come in has been better than those who departed. That’s a big plus.

That big plus sounds really positive when I look at it like that, so what is the problem…

For most the answer is straight forward. We spent a lot of money on areas that were identified as needing improved and many people aren’t convinced those roles have been significantly improved. Is Trusty better than Scales, is Idah a 9 you are delighted to see leading the line, is Engels in the same league as O’Riley was before he departed and the answer is… Well, it’s whatever you believe it to be. We all have player preferences, bias and sometimes can be blind to things, I know I am. I have players that I watch and hear folk rave about and my reaction can be as simple as “he is pish”. Now I know for the job I do that is a silly comment to make, but I don’t watch every game or player with the mindset of an analyst or scout. I don’t watch Celtic games with that mindset because I’m a supporter first and I want that thrill and emotional experience of being up and down and excited and on edge. It’s only after when I need to that I sit and put all the ranting, raving and jumping about to one side that I sit and watch it with different hats on and take my emotions out of it. It’s the joy of watching and discussing football in the public domain. In my opinion it should contain an element of emotion otherwise it just feels a bit robotic.

Back to the recruitment…

In my opinion we improved the overall level of the squad, but without really taking the starting 11 up a level, certainly not in terms of the outfield players. In many ways this season has been defined by the form of 2 players many had previously written off to some extent. Nicolas Kuhn who struggled through his first few months and Daizen Maeda who some thought was nothing more than a runner. Both had runs of form at an incredible standard. Having a better overall squad obviously is a factor in that, but it’s a football thing where we are all guilty of wanting a new hero to turn up and instantly sweep us off of our feet and had either of these players signed last summer the plaudits they’d have got would have been significantly more than they are getting now.

What I’m hoping to see and to a point believe we will see is 3 of the players who have been valuable this season become invaluable players next season. I believe Idah has another level that can be found with a bit of work, but I also understand the frustration some have with him. I think Engels has elements to his game that we can get more from, as well as potential for growth. I think they key for him is deciding exactly what he wants to be as a midfielder. We also know Jota can be a player who makes a real difference, it’s just a pity that injuries have derailed that.

As for the rest. I have a lot of time for Bernardo, but I get the feeling those in the club don’t see him becoming the player we will see the best of, I hope I’m wrong with that view. Luke McCowan, it was a sensible move to bulk up the squad with a homegrown player who we knew could do a solid enough job domestically and I’d love for him to have some big moments because he’s a supporter but I don’t see him ever becoming a consistent starter. Trusty, if I’m honest he is the one that I’m just not sure about. He is a player that most assumed was bought to be a nailed-on starter and while he’s not done a lot wrong, I’m not sure if he’s done enough right, or that he has another level to ensure that he cements his place in our defence. I’d love to be wrong as I’ve no interest in seeing our players stall or fail, but the reality is that it happens.

At the same time as seeing that the overall squad looks better than it did in 2023/24, I like any supporter want to see us show that we can make a signing who comes in and you look at without any hesitation and say this guy is a level above what we have and who goes into the first team and looks the part. It’s been a while since we have done that if you exclude goalkeepers. An outfield player who you can look at and see that this is a part that instantly fits the machine Rodgers wants to build. It’s not a part that you got from a third party that you need to adapt and tinker with to get the machine to work, it’s a custom fit, square peg for square hole part just like Kasper was. The only difference is we want that part to be a lot younger.

The issue we have with signing younger players was something I covered in one of my first CU articles - Adapt or die - The Celtic Underground Substack - where it is clear we have an issue when it comes to player identification in the younger age groups and I would hope that someone inside the club has worked hard to identify why that is…

Is it that our analysts and scouts are better at identifying the targets who have more history in senior football? Is it that our player profile designs aren’t clear enough? Are we looking in the best places which are currently Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Slovakia and Denmark if you go by the number of clubs who are giving the most minutes to under 21s? Is it that we are doing the identification but the club are being too slow and conservative with their approach, and by the time we’ve hummed and hawed the player has moved on and lighting it up elsewhere? Maybe our reluctance has seen the value increase to a point where Peter Lawwell has got wind of things and is wandering around CP singing “$ave Dat Money” by Lil Dicky and talking about the good old days when he got get 3 or 4 players for 5 million and change. I’m not privy to that info but the facts are clear and if you are being specific in your criticism of our recruitment of players under the age of 22 then it’s justified because it has been poor for a club who spend a lot of time talking about player trading models.

We also need to have a solid idea of who might buy the player that we sign if we want to reach the peak levels that the likes of Benfica, Ajax, Salzburg, Lille, Dinamo Zagreb, Genk, AZ Alkmaar have done when it comes to having a top trading model that turns a big profit, and what their buyers value. These clubs have almost become production lines for the teams in the top 5 leagues who have the sort of cash that means spending 25 to 30 million on a player from a so-called lesser league is just about the right amount to make everyone feel comfortable, and if you get a good reputation for developing players to a high standard and they come with added extras like:

• Champions League experience

• Experience of playing under pressure

• Won trophies

Well, then all the better. Do it well and that 30 million can become 40 million, 50 million and the next thing you know Man Utd are buying Antony for 80 million from Ajax.

Most important of all we require a clear idea of what we need and how all the pieces will fit into our picture and be clear, concise and confident that every move we make is done so with a view to improving our team. The more we are seen on the big stage and competing with the best, then the easier this whole process becomes. Our success on the pitch is the key to it all.

I’ve said it before and will shout it until the cows come home - we are a very unique club who can offer players who have big ambitions a unique setting to test themselves. A setting that will help prepare them for playing at top clubs where the volume of games and pressure are 2 of the biggest obstacles to overcome if you want to be successful.

In terms of potential buyers, the EPL is still the biggest cash cow and has seen the level of physical output jump well above most other leagues. So, if I’m looking at a player who might fancy an EPL move then chances are he needs to be fast, physically strong and be technically sound. Right now, the leagues that have big outputs in those areas are the Czech League, English Championship and some of the Scandic leagues. I’m not saying we have to do that, but we do need to have some kind of vision for what our model is going to produce.

Then you have restrictions that seem to exist that make no sense to me at all. We appear to have little to no interest in Asia and South America. Japan, Brazil and Argentina are all in the top 15 nations for producing players who now play in the top 5 leagues (20-year study done by CIES). We appear to have no links to any of the great setups that have been established across Africa for young players. There are also the emerging nations over in the Middle East like Uzbekistan who have been shining in under age tournaments over the past few years. I’ve no idea how much attention we are paying to that, but I hope we are looking because you never know what nation will all of a sudden have a golden generation. A great example is the eyebrows that were raised when Napoli bought Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in 2022. Napoli paid 10 million for the 20-year-old Georgian who had been in Russia and then moved back to Georgia when players contracts were suspended. He’d been noted as one to watch in a few places, but the hype wasn’t huge, now he just so happens to be one of the most entertaining wide players in world football. You also have various other Georgian players who have shown themselves to be good players over the last few years and many clubs recruitment teams were caught sleeping on them.

The question I’d love to put to Dr. Football or someone senior within the club would be if we want to have a fully functioning, all singing, all dancing transfer model why do we appear to be ruling things out, or why are we not being pro-active when it comes to creating a setup that would be classed as top tier. We are hindered enough by the stupidity that was Brexit, why on earth do we want to put more blockers out for ourselves. It’s madness. It is also another reason why sorting out our Academy recruitment and player development is vital to the club. I’m not going down the youth road today but I will revisit that once we see what this proposed loan partnership setup looks like if / when it gets signed off, and I have one other thing planned that should appear next week that will cover some of our youth players.

To conclude, our recruitment for this season was ok, not as poor as some would make it out to be. However, from the outside it does look like it could be a lot better. Some of the blockers that seem self-imposed make no sense and despite many comments about revamps and changes our recruitment setup seems to be pretty much the same as it was bar a fake Dr sitting in Lawwell Jnrs old seat.

A while ago I put something together that covered what I would like to see us do. A bit of fun for me. You are welcome to have a look:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bJ7lywh61lY7aQLHBpw11GYDIYO5rZONct-EXihC1QU/edit?usp=sharing

As always, I hope you enjoyed this content and if you have any comments then drop them in the Substack chat and tag me and I’ll respond as soon as I can.