Celtic’s transfer business well underway with mass clear out

Matthew Anderson & Daniel Cummings: Two younger players looking to develop elsewhere—Anderson joined KV Kortrijk while Cummings moved on to West Ham, after struggling for a first-team breakthrough.

Then there’s the next group. Players either surplus to requirements or in desperate need of regular minutes elsewhere.

Gustaf Lagerbielke: His exit feels inevitable. Celtic were open to letting him go in January, and little has changed since. A permanent deal is being worked on with Braga.

Luis Palma: A strange one—flashes of brilliance, but consistency was lacking. There’s interest from MLS –an ideal fit you’d think – and beyond, and if a good offer comes in, Celtic will likely cash in, after all he had an option to buy clause that wasn’t
activated whilst on loan at Olympiakos.

Marco Tilio: Never got going at Celtic, Rodgers seemed to feel he was miles of it. Expected to return to Australia or move on elsewhere. Loan or permanent—either way, an exit seems nailed on.

Stephen Welsh: A Celtic man but behind several in the pecking order. Rodgers rates him but may need to sacrifice depth for better balance and quality.

Nicolas Kühn: Another who looks all but gone, with Como close to announcing his signing.

Kwon Hyeok-kyu: A fringe player likely to head out on loan again after a mixed season with Hibs on loan—possibly to Europe or back to the K-League.

That’s six more potentially heading for the exit door. Add that to the five already departed and we’re at
11.

Now we come to the final two—and both are interesting cases.

Yang Hyun-jun: Showed flashes last season, and interest is building. Legia Warsaw had a sniff, but the reported £3–4m price tag is too steep for the Polish club, according to Friel’s sources. That said, it only takes one Championship club to firm up
interest and Celtic could be tempted.

Johnny Kenny: Looked sharp and bulked up against Queen’s Park, grabbing a goal. Bolton Wanderers lodged a derisory £500k bid that Celtic binned without hesitation. Rodgers may see a loan in Scotland—perhaps to a Premiership side—as a better path to long-term development.

These two represent the fine margins. A couple of decent showings in pre-season, or a reasonable offer from down south, and the decision becomes simpler.

So, we’re already at 11 with two more in the balance. Friel wasn’t exaggerating, was he?

Celtic are clearly in a period of real squad reshaping, and with Rodgers keen to trim the fat and inject quality, shifting a dozen or more players to make room for four or five key signings makes total sense.

This isn’t a fire sale, instead it’s arguably a long-overdue refresh. And as long as the replacements are of the calibre we need to compete in Europe
and retain the league title, most fans will support it.

One thing is clear—this isn’t a summer for standing still. The refresh, it seems, is well underway and the exit route is just as important a consideration as new faces.