CELTIC TRANSFER STRATEGY: A BIG WEEK AHEAD
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Jun 21
- 4 min read
Celtic begin preseason training next week, and hopefully we’ll have a few more new faces in the door by the time that happens.
With this in mind, I figured now is as good a time as any to check in and see where we are with our alleged transfer targets, and who we can perhaps expect to see arriving at Celtic Park over the next few days.
Celtic Transfer Targets Plentiful, But Deals Still to Be Done
As I write this, I have the J-League on my TV in the background. I note that Hayato Inamura scored the opening goal for Albirex Niigata in this afternoon’s J1 match at Avispa Fukuoka.
So, any rumors he was in Scotland last week to conclude his move to Celtic appear to have been erroneous.
However, this does not mean that the deal isn't happening. The J-League season runs along different timescales to most European leagues, as you probably already know.
There is a mid-season break, from July 5th to July 20th. During this time, many of the players who are planning to move to Europe do so, and their Japanese parent clubs have the opportunity to bring in replacements. Indeed it was under similar circumstances that Celtic signed Kyogo back in 2021.
Daizen Maeda also left Matsumoto Yamaga at a similar time in 2019 to embark upon his ill-fated, short-lived spell in Portugal with Maritimo.
So, whilst I am a bit concerned that the Inamura deal isn’t over the line yet, it is possible that Albirex Niigata and Celtic may have come to an understanding that the player won’t officially move until the J-League’s mid-season break in two weeks’ time.
One player Celtic seemed to have missed the boat on sadly is Norwegian winger Sondre Orjasaeter. The 21-year-old winger was, apparently, very close to joining Celtic in January with a fee in the region of £7 million seemingly agreed.
However, Celtic couldn't finalize the deal before the transfer window closed, and now, PSV Eindhoven have shown an interest. Orjasaeter’s current club, Norwegian league side Sarpsborg have subsequently increased their asking price to around £11 million.
Celtic could afford this, after all we spent more on Arne Engels last year, but as the whole on/off Mathias Kvistgaarden scenario showed, Celtic seldom get the deal done when a bidding war begins.
So, I think this one may have been and gone. However, with Benjamin Nygren set to sign imminently, and for a far lower fee, I think we’re actually getting a better player and a much better long term investment by pursuing him as opposed to Orjasaeter.
Nygren has agreed terms with Celtic, his club are also believed to have reached an agreement. However, the player remains on holiday, having been one of many players who played in the series of meaningless international friendlies at the beginning of this month.
That being said, much like Inamura, I expect this deal will be completed over the next week or two.
Isaac English from Morton and Ross Doohan from Aberdeen both completed deals to join Celtic this week. However, English is definitely one to file under “for the future” and Doohan is a straight up replacement for professional bench-warmer Scott Bain. Nice job if you can get it, I suppose.
On the subject of Isaac English, I hope Celtic consider loaning him back to Morton for next season rather than putting him in the B-Team. The Championship would be a far better place for him to develop further as a player than The Lowland League. Queens Park could also be an option for him under the partnership agreement Celtic will have with The Spiders beginning from next season.
One transfer deal that remains up in the air, but is perhaps the most intriguing is Celtic’s long term pursuit of Belgian attacker Michel-Ange Balikwisha. The Royal Antwerp star is keen on a move to Celtic, but its unclear if Celtic want to pay the £5.1 million that Antwerp allegedly want for someone who is, admittedly, one of their best players.
Balikwisha has, if reports are to be believed, been on Celtic’s radar for more than a year. He is a dynamic and exciting player who could potentially fill a number of different roles in the team.
Personally I think he’s worth the 5.1 million asking price, if indeed that is the price. Unfortunately, the Daily Record, who in their usual style tried to frame this as a “talks break down” kind of story, provided no actual sources to back up their claim.
As I said, I think the fee quoted is a fair price for the player, and it's up to Celtic if they agree or not. However, contrary to what you read in the red tops, this deal is still very much a work in progress.
The same can’t be said of Motherwell’s Lennon Miller unfortunately. However, in my opinion, this is probably for the best, for the player’s own long-term development.
There is no doubt Miller is an extremely talented young player. However, there is also no guarantee he would secure a regular starting place in the Celtic team. He could however do so if he made a move to Italy or Germany, where rumors persist of interested clubs.
In any case, I hope Motherwell hold firm on their asking price, because he is a player of tremendous potential and will be very hard to replace.
I still maintain though that it's probably in the best interests of the player to go somewhere other than Celtic this summer.
This is, most likely, a case of “if Celtic were going to sign him, we’d have done it by now”.
We end on a positive note though, as young Welsh striker Callum Osmand was spotted at Lennoxtown this week, firming up the final details of his move from Fulham.
This is definitely one we can expect to see officially confirmed any moment now.
