This weekend season 2022/23 begins and it’s safe to say we’re in much better shape than we were this time last summer.
League Champions and League Cup holders with our Champions League group stage place secured – the draw for which will be made on the 26th of August – we have a strong squad already in place.
Unlike most summers when we’re scraping around to do deals at the last minute, under the guidance of Ange Postecoglou, we’ve got our business done early securing permanent contracts for last season’s highly successfully loanees in centre back Cameron Carter Vickers and the dynamic winger Jota for what has been a significant financial outlay in the region of £12.5 million.
Added to that exciting soon to be 22-year-old left back Alexandro Bernabei, our first ever Argentinian acquisition, was snapped up for £3.75 million and Dundee Utd’s impressive keeper Benjamin Siegrest has been brought in to support Joe Hart.
In recent weeks defensive midfielder Aaron Mooy has also arrived on a permanent deal and was joined by German centre back Moritz Jenz on loan from French side Lorient.
Of course, it’s not only incomings which shape a squad and whilst the likes of Vasilis Barkas, Liam Scales, Ismaila Soro, Adam Montgomery and Osaze Urhoghide have gone out on season long loans there has been permanent departures for Nir Bitton, Luca Connell, Ewan Henderson, Karamoko Dembele, Kerr McInroy, Jonathan Afolabi and the much-maligned Boli Bolingoli.
Whilst most of those were squad players or youths who rarely troubled the first team squad, we did also lose the mercurial Tom Rogic in a somewhat unexpected announcement which is a genuinely big loss considering the Australians penchant for match winging goals and touches of class.
Hopefully, the likes of David Turnbull, Reo Hatate and in particular Matt O’Riley – who in some ways resembles a carbon copy of Rogic – can successfully fill the void left by the big man.
All in all, it’s looking good, and we’ve gone through a busy six game pre-season schedule undefeated not that that really matters as most of the games have seen the first team squad totally flipped at half time.
With 9 goals shipped in those games it’s fair to say our defence is still leaky but I think that’s jut life under Ange and an end result of the type of offensive football we play.
The standout match was probably the 4-2 win at Banik Ostrava in front of a raucous sell-out crowd celebrating the Czrch clubs 100 years anniversary.
It felt nothing like a friendly though it wasn’t exactly hostile either as a party atmosphere enveloped the stadium in the sunshine.
We also drew 2-2 with Legia Warsaw in front of another lively sell-out crowd in the Polish capital this time showing up in force to celebrate our mutual hero the ‘Holy Goalie’ Artur Boruc’s retirement.
Hopefully, that’s got us in fine fettle for the beginning of the new campaign which begins this Sunday at home to Aberdeen.
After a disastrous campaign last term that saw them finish 10th in the League, exiting the cups and Europe early all of which cost hapless manager Stephen Glass his job former Celtic youth and current man in the dugout Jim Goodwin has used the summer to both gut and rebuild his squad.
Gone are the likes of our former captain Scott Brown as well as misfits Jack Gurr, Jay-Emmanuel-Thomas, Michael Devlin, Declan Gallagher, Gary Woods, Dylan McGeouch and Funso Oju and not forgetting veteran Andy Considine.
They’ve also sold for significant fees Calvin Ramsey and Lewis Ferguson to Liverpool and Bologna respectively raking in around £7.5 million in the process which is the sort of money that usually only ends up in us our Rangers coffers for sales.
That income has helped them splash out a number of six figure fees – a rarity in Scottish football nowadays days outside of ourselves and the Ibrox club – on the likes of strikers Luis Lopes (I refuse to call him Duk) and Macedonian Bojan Miovski not to mention midfielders Callum Roberts and Ylber Ramadani, full back Jayden Richardson and centre back Anthony Stewart.
Added to that keeper Kelle Roos plus our own Liam Scales on loan – much to their fans chagrin going by recent match day banners – and Middleborough left-back Hayden Coulson also on loan.
So pretty much a new squad and they have been tearing it up in the League Cup winning all four of their first-round group games scoring 12 with none conceded albeit against the likes of Peterhead (2-0), Dumbarton (2-0), Stirling Albion (5-0) and Raith Rovers (3-0).
Still the signs are promising for the Dons, and they’ll fancy their chances at getting 3rd spot and going on a cup run this season with Hearts likely to be their biggest obstacle to that third place.
The Edinburgh side have by and large kept their squad intact after a runway third placed finish and Scottish Cup final run last term minus the departures of John Souttar to Rangers and Ellis Sims back to Everton after his succesful loan spell.
They open their campaign at home against Malky Mackay’s Ross County who did brilliantly to finish in the top six last term and I fancy could do it again with their squad being strengthened albeit with the loss of leading SPFL goal scorer Regan Charles Cook this season and looking increasingly impressive in the League Cup group games.
Meanwhile Hibs have also had a big summer, gutting their squad upon the arrival of new manager Lee Johnson and adding a plethora of new players including ex-Celts Aidan McGeady and David Marshall but are already ‘Hibsing’ it so to speak with defeat to third tier Falkirk and a draw to Championship side Greenock Morton seeing them eliminated early from the League Cup and McGeady is also now crocked. Some things never change.
Our biggest threat will of course come from our cross city rivals Rangers.
We actually play them at Celtic Park in a mere five weeks and they have had a mixed bag this summer having tragically lost out via penalties in the Europa League Final which also cost them an automatic place in the Champions League. That meant players had to be sold and two of their best in Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo have exited stage right for around £25.5 million combined whilst the incomings are a pretty eclectic bunch who I’ll look at in greater detail nearer the time.
Only time will tell if they are stronger, weaker or pretty much the same though to be honest I don’t see much to be fearful of.
There is also two potential rounds of Champions League qualifiers for them face if they are to join us in the group stages of the Champions League and as last season showed there are no guarantees when it comes to qualifiers. Can you say Malmo?
They are away to Livingston tomorrow which might be a tough opener though they usually stroll it there.
As for Celtic I expect an exciting game against a revitalised Aberdeen but ultimately a comfortable win by a 3-1 score line. Take it to the bank.
....Always A Tim! 