Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has admitted that discussions are already underway in regards to the Hoops’ planning for the January transfer window, as reported by the Daily Record.
The Lowdown: Busy summer…
The 56-year-old worked closely with CEO Dominic McKay during the summer window, bringing in 12 new players to Parkhead.
Three of those came on deadline day in Jota, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Cameron Carter-Vickers, with a number of players also heading out the door.
McKay has also now left his position due to personal reasons, with Michael Nicholson in interim charge, and plans are already in place to bring in more new faces in the New Year.
The Latest: Postecoglou’s comments
Postecoglou was talking to the media, as relayed by the Daily Record, ahead of Sunday’s clash with Aberdeen and spoke about the next transfer window.
He revealed that he would once again look into the market in Japan, describing it as a ‘good time’ due to the J1 League’s end season, saying:
“We know the areas we need to bolster. It’s about getting more players that I believe can play the type of football we want to play.
“There is a mentality attached to that. It’s about the type of personalities who are going to be brave and really ambitious.
“That’s what we’re trying to target. We will definitely be adding something to the squad.
“Japan is one of the markets we’ll be looking at. Obviously I know it really well and they will get to the end of their season, which is a good time if there’s anyone who will fit into our set-up.”
Postecoglou then went on to label the summer window as ‘frantic’ in a possible swipe at former CEO McKay, before revealing that discussions are underway for the winter market.
“We will be looking everywhere. The last window was frantic. This time we want to be planning well in advance.
“We’ve identified targets and begun discussions before we get to January so that we can conclude deals a lot quicker than we did in the previous window.”
The Verdict: Good news
With Celtic yet to replace McKay on a permanent basis, some supporters may have been worrying that plans for new recruitments in 2022 were on the back burner.
However, that is not the case, as confirmed by Postecoglou, and it seems as if he is working with Nicholson in regards to bolstering the squad.
Another shrewd signing similar to Kyogo Furuhashi from the J1 League would be ideal, so hopefully Postecoglou and the Hoops hierarchy can work their magic. At least they appear to be more organised about it now than they were during a "frantic" summer.
In other news: News Celtic and Ange could do without emerges regarding Furuhashi.