Celtic are back in the big time after reclaiming the Scottish Premiership title and booking their place in the UEFA Champions League group stage, meaning that this summer we should expect some interesting signings.
Whilst big-name arrivals might be what Celtic fans are praying for, the current reality is that Ange Postecoglou seems to be sticking to his roots and targeting players off the beaten path who can sign this summer on the cheap.
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Indeed, this transfer window could see plenty of new incomings, yet after what Celtic did last summer given the number of signings the Australian manager made, the Hoops could afford to be more selective with their new additions in the coming months.
With that in mind, what could Celtic’s starting XI for the start of next season look like, and who could feature in the Hoops’ backup side as the Scottish giants prepare for what could be an exciting and historic year for the club.
Cameron Carter-Vickers joins for good as Ko Itakura also signs
With a fully fit squad, it’s quite surprising that Celtic realistically don’t need to add too much to the starting XI, with our only changes coming in the form of Japanese defender Ko Itakura signing for the club with Cameron Carter-Vickers also joining on a permanent deal.
Postecoglou’s knowledge of the J-League and Japanese players, in general, has sparked a revolution at Celtic, with Kyogo Furuhashi’s arrival in the summer a game-changer for the Hoops as Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi joined in the January window.
And this year, Itakura could be the next star from the Asian nation to join Celtic, with the centre-back a reported target for the Hoops after Postecoglou missed out on the Manchester City star last summer.
With Itakura and Carter-Vickers forming a solid centre-back pairing, the remainder of the XI, if the squad is fully-fit, fills itself, with Joe Hart retaining his position in the sticks with Josip Juranovic taking the left-back spot as a reinvented Anthony Ralston starts at left-back.
In central midfield, captain Callum McGregor is joined by David Turnbull and Matt O’Riley, with Kyogo, newly signed Jota and Georgios Giakoumakis making up the attack and completing an XI that could easily retain the SPL title and challenge in the Champions League.
Carl Starfelt drops to the bench whilst Celtic land Taylor Harwood-Bellis
With three new signings made, it is quite surprising that the backup XI only contains two new additions, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis joining Celtic from Manchester City, with the Hoops reportedly interested in the England youth international.
For our reserve XI, Carl Starfelt starts after losing out on his usual spot in the first-team to Itakura, with the £4m defender being joined by Greg Taylor at left-back whilst academy graduates Stephen Welsh and goalkeeper Conor Hazard complete the backline.
As for the midfield, reported Celtic target and Metz star Kevin N’Doram is the fifth and final signing for the Hoops, with the 26-year-old midfielder joining Hatate and James McCarthy, who this season should be free of the injury problems that plagued him in his debut year in Glasgow.
Finally, starting in attack, Maeda and Liel Abada are somewhat unlucky to be in the backup XI given their impressive seasons last year for Celtic whilst club icon James Forrest retains a spot at right-wing in what will be the 39-year-old’s 12th year playing for his boyhood side.
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