Celtic transfer window: More signings likely, trio's future unclear - what to expect in January
New signings
Celtic have been very active so far in this winter window, with three new players already in the building. Japanese defender Yuki Kobayashi penned a long-term contract from Vissel Kobe and the 22-year-old will offer competition at centre-half. Alistair Johnston, a 24-year-old Canadian right-back, has joined from Montreal CF after a £3million transfer and in the past 48 hours, Yokohama F Marinos’ defender/midfielder Tomoki Iwata signed on loan with a mandatory option to buy. The business conducted by manager Ange Postecoglou mirrors last year, when the Australian made sure that Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda were snared before the window opens, allowing them time to acclimatise to life in Scotland. Postecoglou clearly has the full backing of his board given that in each of the four windows he has presided over, he has made numerous additions. The entrance door is unlikely to be closed. Celtic have been linked with all sorts of players in the past two weeks and it is anticipated that they will add another forward to strengthen their attacking options. A move for South Korean striker Cho Gue-sung, currently at Jeonbuk in his homeland, has been heavily mooted.
Potential departures
Celtic’s squad does appear bloated on paper, although Postecoglou needs plenty of personnel at his disposal to maintain his high-tempo football. Nevertheless, there should be a couple of departures. Midfielder Ideguchi has struggled to impress in his year at Parkhead, while youngster Scott Robertson – also a midfielder – could leave for a club in England. Udinese and Porto are tracking defender Stephen Welsh, who game-time could be further limited by the arrival of Kobayashi. Striker Giorgos Giakoumakis is being kept out of the starting XI by Kyogo Furuhashi and the Greek is reportedly unhappy with the progress of talks on a new deal. He could also go. The most likely exit, however, is right-back Josip Juranovic, who excelled for Croatia at the World Cup and is being tracked by Barcelona, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and other big clubs in Europe. A fee of at least £20m would be required, with his potential replacement Johnston already in the door.