Mark Hendry: Inside Celtic’s January - Permanent Targets Ignored, Problems Repeated
How missed opportunities and risk-avoidance left the Hoops ill-equipped for a title fight.
Deadline day just so happened to fall on Groundhog Day this year and that irony certainly won’t be lost on Celtic fans.
Another window, another scramble. Michael Nicholson fielding calls throughout the day hoping one of his Premier League contacts might bail him and the club out again.
Interim manager Martin O’Neill and his staff must be clear of any blame. Shaun Maloney was snowed under with scouting work alongside James Bell-Walker who had a baptism of fire at Lennoxtown having arrived from Chelsea.
Maloney may have been pals with Paul Tisdale but he certainly won’t have thanked his old mucker for leaving a messy trail behind him on his way out.
No, the coaching staff did what they could with what they had and that was, essentially, a cheque book that they were told not to open if they didn’t have to.
In one of the closest title races in years, one Celtic are genuinely ill-equipped to fight - the club spent buttons when they should have made a statement.
Five loan signings were brought in with only small fees attached and options over obligations. Julian Araujo and Tomas Cvancara have already shown their talents, but the jury is out on the last-minute arrivals.
Supporters know their previous stats inside out and have not been particularly enamoured. But they’ll surely give the benefit of the doubt.
Junior Adamu was the first to arrive from Freiburg and he was confirmed relatively early by Celtic’s standards. We understand there’s a future fee option set at close to £4million if he succeeds.
Lorient winger Joel Mvuka also joined on deadline day but it was on loan as opposed to the initially negotiated £3m switch. An issue in his medical forced a rethink and another loan with another option was sanctioned.
We at CeltsAreHere understand the 23-year-old had been in Glasgow and his announcement package had already been filmed and completed for his social media unveiling before the last-minute hitch.
Centre-half was another spot Celtic needed to strengthen. And this one goes back to Nicholson and his checks. Brentford allowed their young talent Benjamin Arthur to head north on deadline day which, in turn, green-lit Stephen Welsh to Motherwell.
There is no option or obligation for the Scottish giants in the deal to land Arthur. That suggests short-termism at its finest.
We at CeltsAreHere can exclusively reveal the club had permanent options. One of whom is already well known in Glasgow.
