The Scotland International hero thinks Celtic’s recruitment hasn’t ‘been good enough’
As turmoil and uncertainty surrounds Celtic Park, a former Scotland International and Birmingham City man has lambasted Celtic’s transfer policy of late.
The Hoops signed free agent, Kelechi Iheanacho after failing to sign a striker during the window, after being snubbed by Kasper Dolberg and David Datro Fofana. Brendan Rodgers did manage to acquire the late window signature of Michel-Ange Balikwisha from Antwerp for £4.5m but whether he will be a suitable replacement for the injured Jota remains to be seen.
Former Everton striker, turned BBC Pundit, James McFadden hasn’t been impressed with Celtic’s transfer dealings during the summer. The 42-year old has singled out some transfers that have negatively affected The Hoops and picked out three names they’ve failed to ‘replace’.
McFadden slams Celtic’s transfer window
Speaking on BBC Radio’s Scottish Football Podcast, McFadden said: “Kyogo (Furuhashi) wasn’t replaced, Nicolas Kuhn was allowed to leave before a replacement was found, Adam Idah was allowed to leave, then he wasn’t, then he actually was, and then they signed a free agent (Kelechi Iheanacho).
“It’s not about spending, it’s the timing of the recruitment; getting the players in before you’ve let players go, but certainly before you play in a Champions League qualifier. The model’s been amazing for Celtic over a number of years, but this transfer window’s not been good enough, nor the last one.”
Following the defeat in their Champions League decider against Kairat Almaty, Brendan Rodgers indicated that he needed more financial backing from the board, however with the chaotic nature of the summer window, it doesn’t appear he got his wish. It isn’t all doom and gloom for Celtic as they still sit top of the SPFL Premiership table, but with important Europa League fixtures on the horizon we will soon find out whether the current team is ready for European Football or not.
Failure to replace stars could be costly for Celts
The players McFadden refers to who Celtic haven’t replaced have been instrumental to their success in recent years. Kyogo scored 63 goals in 116 during his four years at Celtic Park while Kuhn had a tremendous start to last season, helping them win the League title. Idah perhaps had less of an impact, but came up with some important goals, notably the late winner against Rangers in the 2024 Scottish Cup Final.
As Iheanacho signed straight after Idah it can be assumed he was the Irishman’s replacement. Swansea paid a whopping £7.5m for Idah’s services however none of that was reinvested in a new striker before the end of the window. The same goes for Kuhn as Celtic only paid a fraction of his £16.5m transfer fee from Como on Balikwisha.
As for Kyogo, it appears the Japanese striker hasn’t been replaced at all. Celtic still have strikers Johnny Kenny and Shin Yamada on their books, but it’s highly unlikely either of them will be able to emulate Kyogo’s numbers.
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