Shrewd business or just ‘same old Celtic’, penny pinching

Since the summer window opened for business we have recruited no fewer than five players with a sixth on the way in the shape of Shin Yamada, and more likely to arrive with the likes of Michel Ange Balikwisha and possibly Justin De Haas heavily rumoured to be arriving through the Celtic park doors.

Kieran Tierney arrived on freedom of contract, although you can expect him to be on a hefty salary, whilst Ross Doohan and Callum Osmand also arrived as free agents.

Fees were however splashed out on Benjamin Nygren who cost a modest £1.5 million, whilst Hayato Inamura cost a lowly £250,000. Incoming striker Shin Yamada will cost £1.5 million with the likes of Michel Ange Balikwisha and Justin De Haas valued at around £4 million each, all of whom who had or still do have just a year remaining on their contracts.

Granted KT would have been out of our reach had a fee been involved whilst the rest of the signings and proposed signings would have cost much more if it wasn’t for their contract situation, but can that be described as good business or just plain old penny pinching? Especially when we have a £20 million plus burning a hole in our pocket.

Celtic, as Brendan Rodgers has revealed over the last week, were well aware of Nicolas Kuhn’s wish to leave last season – maybe it was that disgraceful elbow smash across the face that went unpunished at Ibrox at the start of the year that made him decide Scottish football wasn’t for him.

Celtic would also have known of the significant interest in the player whose agent would have known Celtic’s asking price IF they were to allow the German winger to leave this summer. Kuhn’s agent , armed with that information, was able to find a suitable club in Como willing and able to pay Celtic’s asking price.

That money, which will be around £16.5 million is likely to be the extent of Celtic’s financial expenditure in the transfer window this summer, although the club might go a little further and re-invest our Frimpong windfall cash after his move from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool.

Let’s round that up to £20m which will be significantly more than any other club but we all know Celtic have the funds to spend double that sum if the desire and the ambition was there, which takes us back to the earlier question shrewd business or just same old Celtic, penny pinching? It’s a matter of opinion – what’s yours?