On Saturday afternoon Celtic announced they would be playing two friendlies – or bounce games as they effectively are with fans still not allowed access to the stadium – at Celtic Park both within the space of 24 hrs.
I can never remember us playing fellow Scottish Premiership opposition in pre-season warm-up games before and I’m generally against the concept but what with an ongoing pandemic etc it’s of course completely understandable.
On Sunday afternoon we dismissed Ross County 2-0 and then the following day saw off Hibs 3-1.
Just about everyone imaginable got a run out over the two games with the exception of winger Marian Shved and striker Vakoun Issouf Bayo both of whom are now firmly placed in the ‘flops’ category.
And expensive flops at that though in fairness to the latter he did pick up a knock in training so wasn’t available in any case.
But let’s be honest he’s already the fourth choice striker and we are apparently being linked with bringing another one in so his days would appear numbered.
Celtic have done a good job this summer of quickly dispatching players no longer deemed part of the project with Jozo Simunovic, Craig Gordon, Jonny Hayes, Calvin Miller and Eboue Kouassi all departing permanently and Jack Hendry once again sent out on loan whilst loans for Max Bauer, Daniel Arzani and of course Fraser Forster have all come to end.
I expect Shved and Bayo to be joining them pretty soon.
The question is now who will be coming in over the next few days with several targets linked in advance of us kicking off the new SPFL season on Sunday at home to Hamilton Accies.
Greek goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas looks a stick on to be coming in the door in a deal from AEK Athens rumoured to be costing us anywhere from £4.5 to £5.5 million, plus a host of add-ons.
The 26-year-old has impressive stats and the deal will finally put an end to any hopes of Fraser Forster returning after being so imperious last term.
Barkas is undergoing a medical and all things going well will hopefully be announced over the next few days.
It’s the position just about everybody has identified as being essential what with Forster and Gordon’s departure and although Scott Bain and Conor Hazard have both looked good in pre-season the reality is neither is soon as being fully competent to hold the Celtic number 1 jersey long term.
On top of that, we continue to be heavily linked with a loan including an option to buy for West Ham’s Albian Ajeti and Peterborough’s Ivan Toney who would cost in the region of £6-7 million has also been linked.
Both are strikers, young (23 and 24 respectively), have impressive stats and high potential resale value so fit the Celtic signing profile.
Though there’s no chance we’re going to buy both and each day one emerges over the other as being close to finalising a deal.
Hopefully more becomes evident on that situation in the next few days.
Steven Fletcher has also been linked but me thinks that juts people taking the fact he’s out of contract, supports the club and putting two and two together and coming up with five.
Fletcher is way past it and was never particularly prolific in his heyday so I’ll file that one under baseless.
The strange thing is that Leigh Griffiths, who looked to be edging to the exit door after apparently showing up for preseason training bang out of shape resulting in him not joining the team on the trip to France, looked sharp as a tack and linked up well with Polish striker Patryk Klimala after coming on a sub during the Hibs game on Monday.
For me, Griffiths definitely still has a future at Celtic and it’ll be all hands to the pump next season anyway what with the Scottish Cup games from last season still to be played plus a massive backlog of internationals that several of our players will be involved with to play too.
Incidentally, if any more evidence was needed after how dramatically our fortunes swung in the second half of last season then for me the Hibs game once again thoroughly underlined that we need to go with two up front.
We just look at a far more dangerous team and whilst it’s completely understandable to resort to a lone striker when up against some of Europe’s big guns we only hurt ourselves by deploying that against weaker or even equal opposition.
Anyway if we can get a good quality keeper and another striker of the level being mooted in the door then really the only position we have to concentrate on is centre back what with us only being down to three options there one of which – Elhamed – is really more suited to the right-back position where when he’s been fit he’s been a big success.
As for Hamilton on Sunday they really are down the bare bones squad wise with little in the way of transfer activity and have seen their preseason run outs limited.
So let’s hope for not only three points but a big score to get the most important season in the club’s history off to a bang.
Here’s a look back to how Celtic kicked off last seasons campaign.
....Always A Tim! 