Celtic spent much of the January transfer window looking to add to their right-back department.
There have been doubts over the likes of Mikael Lustig, whose contract expires in the summer and has been far from his best this season, whilst Cristian Gamboa looks almost certain to leave as he does not have a new deal in the offing.
Anthony Ralston also picked up an injury that forced Brendan Rodgers to act, and a number of names were thrown about in the media as to who The Bhoys would try to bring to Celtic Park.
Late on Deadline Day, they finally acquired Jeremy Toljan from Borussia Dortmund, however, speculation surrounding Atalanta’s Timothy Castagne were rife throughout January.
Did Celtic add the right man, or did they miss out on the right-back they should have added?
Jeremy Toljan
Toljan may have been considered a coup for the Scottish Premiership champions and, despite it being early days, it appears he could well prove to be so.
The loanee appears to have slotted straight into Rodgers’ system at Parkhead and has impressed in the few appearances that he has made so far.
The 24-year-old has been showing why a lot of noise had been made about him in the past, as he is very quick and strong and appears to have a real attacking threat when going forward.
A former Germany Under-21 international, Toljan still has the ability to get better, and whilst he is out of favour at Dortmund, there may be an opportunity for the club to sign him on a permanent deal at the end of the season.
TT Grade: B+
Timothy Castagne
As mentioned, Castagne was a name that was thrown about with a move to Celtic Park for much of January.
However, Atalanta were only prepared to allow him to leave on a permanent deal, and even then, it appears it would have had to have been for a rather large fee, with an initial €10million offer thought to have been rejected, per Gianluca Di Marzio.
The Belgium international has been in fine form for the Serie A outfit this season, as he has been useful in both attack and defence. Castagne has three goals and three assists, whilst he has also helped to keep nine clean sheets.
With figures like that, it would come as no surprise to see Atalanta want to keep hold of him, whilst also appearing to demand a rather large transfer fee for their rising star.
TT Grade: B-
The Verdict:
There is no doubt that both right-backs are excellent players and both still have the opportunity to vastly improve as they are still both in the early stages of their careers.
However, with the loan addition of Toljan, this appears to have been the better deal for Celtic and they may have dodged a bullet in the process.
The 24-year-old appears out of favour at Dortmund and should he continue to perform at a high standard for Rodgers’ side, there could be an opportunity for the Scottish Premiership champions to bring him to Celtic Park for a fee a lot less than the €10m wanted for Castagne.
Celtic fans – thoughts?
