FORMER Celtic skipper Gary Caldwell has applauded the calibre of Neil Lennon’s buys as the team bid for a historic tenth successive title.
The club’s one-time central defender reckons Shane Duffy will flourish during his season-long loan from Brighton at Parkhead and he also believes the £8.25million double-act of midfielder David Turnbull, from Motherwell, and striker Albian Ajeti, from Motherwell, will prove to be valuable assets.
Caldwell, who was brought to Glasgow by Gordon Strachan from Hibs in 2006 and spent four years before leaving for Wigan, thinks his old club WILL win the championship to go into the record books – but he warned they will have to be at their best.
The ex-Scotland international centre-back, speaking to the Scottish Sun, said: “When you’re used to winning, you don’t need to make lots of signings.
“It’s about adding quality and I think Celtic have done that. Turnbull and Duffy have really brought something to the squad that improves it.
“It’s not just about being good players themselves, it’s about them improving the players around them.
“How you guard against complacency in a winning team is by creating competition. That’s what drives players.
“Going back to my time when I was at Celtic, every year we signed new centre-backs. That was something which drove me to improve because I recognised that what we did the previous season had gone and we had to do more.
“It was about raising the bar every year and getting better. That’s what every successful club tries to do and Celtic are no different.
“They are on an incredible run domestically, in terms of the trophies they’ve won, so it’s a constant challenge to maintain those standards.”
Caldwell expects Celtic to be crowned champions once again, but expects the title kings to be pushed all the way.
He added: “In Steven Gerrard, Rangers have a manager who had an unbelievable mentality as an unbelievable player, but it’s very difficult to instil that into a squad of players who haven’t won anything together.
“I just look at Celtic and think they’re ready for a big season with their aim for 10 in a row.
“They’ve been over the course and distance and I see that as a huge advantage for them.
“Rangers asked questions of them last season, but Celtic delivered when the pressure was on after the turn of the year.
“I sense Neil Lennon and his team are determined to make this season a historic one for the football club.”
