ANGE POSTECOGLOU got the ball rolling on the transfer front back in May with the announcement Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton, fixtures in the Hoops first-team squad, would be leaving the champions at the end of the season.
The Aussie midfielder and the versatile Israeli made emotional farewells in the team’s 6-0 win over Motherwell at a packed Parkhead on May 14 when the curtain came down on a title-winning crusade.
The ins and outs of the £20MILLION cash splash came to a halt last night before the 12pm deadline when Denmark international anchorman Oliver Abildgaard signed a one-year loan deal from Rubin Kazan.
WELCOME TO CELTIC…Oliver Abildgaard wears the colours after agreeing his 12-month loan at the champions. Image courtesy Celtic TV.
The 6ft-plus enforcer will join his former team-mate Sead Haksabanovic who completed his five-year switch from the Russian club last week. There will also be a reunion with centre-back Carl Starfelt who left Rubin in July last year.
While Abildgaard was being welcomed to Parkhead, former Scotland Under-21 international winger Mikey Johnston was on his way to Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes on a season-long temporary contract while midfielder Liam Shaw was also on the move as he headed for English third-tier side Morecambe on a similar deal.
The giant Dane became Postecoglou’s NINTH recruit of his third transfer window as Hoops gaffer.
The Greek-Australian signed Filipe Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Daizen Maeda on permanent deals.
The Portuguese flyer cost £6.5million from Benfica, the US international centre-back £6million from Spurs and the Japanese forward £2million from Yokahama F Marinos.
WELCOME TO CELTIC…Alexandro Bernabei is all smiles following his £3.75million arrival from Argentina.
Postecoglou also splashed £3.75million on Argentinian left-back Alexandro Bernabei as well as £1.75million on Haksabanovic. Both featured in the 4-1 Premier Sports League Cup win over Ross County in Dingwall in midweek.
Australian World Cup midfielder Aaron Mooy and Swiss keeper Benji Siegrist arrived as free agents while German defender Moritz Jenz signed a 12-month loan deal from Ligue 1 outfit Lorient.
The Hoops recouped some of their cash outlay with the sales of Christopher Jullien to Montpellier and Boli Bolingoli to Mechelen while they also removed high-earners Vasilis Barkas and Albian Ajeti, who cost a joint £9.5million when Neil Lennon bought them from AEK Athens and West Ham respectively in the summer of 2020.
ON THE MOVE…Aaron Mooy made his first Celtic start in the 4-1 midweek win over Ross County in Dingwall.
At a glance, here are the ins and outs at the champions during a hectic summer.
INS
Filipe Jota (Benfica), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Spurs), Daizen Maeda (Yokahama F Marinos), Alexandro Bernabei (Atletico Lanus), Aaron Mooy (Shanghai Port), Benji Siegrist (Dundee United), Moritz Jenz (Lorient, loan), Sead Haksabanovic (Rubin Kazan), Oliver Abildgaard (Rubin Kazan, loan).
OUTS
SOLD: Christopher Jullien (Montpellier), Boli Bolingoli (Mechelen), Ross Doohan (Tranmere Rovers), Ben Doak (Liverpool), Ewan Moffat (Blackpool);
LOANED: Vasilis Barkas (FC Utrecht), Albian Ajeti (Sturm Graz), Conor Hazard (HJK Helsinki), Liam Scales (Aberdeen), Adam Montgomery (St Johnstone), Ismaila Soro (FC Arouca), Osaze Urhoghide (KV Oostende), Mikey Johnston (Vitoria Guimaraes), Liam Shaw (Morecambe), Johnny Kenny (Queen’s Park), Ben Wylie (Airdrie).
RELEASED: Nir Bitton (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Tom Rogic (unattached), Karamoko Dembele (Brest), Ewan Henderson (Hibs), Luca Connell (Barnsley), Jonathan Afolabi (Bohemians), Kerr McInroy (Kilmarnock), Ethan Mitchell (Annan).
