OVER the years, Scottish giants Celtic have gotten it right when it comes to transfer activity, both in and out-bound. This counts among the major reasons why the Hoops have been dominant in Scottish football. Some of their top transfers included switches from the Premiership to the English Premier League, with some of these players going on to make a name for themselves, and earn Celtic some money in transfer bonuses.
Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk who moved to Southampton are some of the top business Celtic did in the years past. Most recently there was the Kieran Tierney move to Arsenal, which was also deemed a big capture by the Gunners. The Hoops have in the summer lost a few members that were core to their plans as a club.
Manager Ange Postecoglou’s move to Tottenham Hotspur after leading the team to glory was deemed a major loss. He wasn’t the only one walking out, midfielder Jota left for Saudi Arabia after two good seasons and soon, defender Carl Starfelt followed him out, heading to Spain. Things don’t always go to plan, and especially with inbound transfers. Celtic have already had a feel of what life will be without their top stars with the League Cup elimination at Kilmarnock. Their rating will definitely go lower ahead of the meeting with Rangers which is around the corner.
Your best bet to check on such rating will be on SportyTrader, where you can check live football scores, fixtures and results every day. Back to transfers, the move for Mo Bangura in 2011 has been ranked among the worst transfer decisions ever made at Parkhead. Proposed by Celtic’s iconic forward Henrik Larsson, Bangura didn’t really click with Neil Lennon and in the end failed to score at the club despite a fee of £2.2m being paid for his move from AIK.
Another top flop at Celtic was ironically Teemu Pukki, one of the biggest players at Norwich. A 2013 acquisition from Schalke, the Finland international had a good opening month at Celtic. He would soon start spending more time on the bench than the pitch, despite his £3.3 million move. After just two seasons with Celtic, he found himself being pushed out and managed to settle at Norwich City. From his transfer fee, Celtic could only recoup £600000.
At least Pukki got the club some money; Derk Boerrigter spent three years with Celtic following his acquisition from Ajax and left for nothing. However, and also because of injuries, he didn’t achieve much at Celtic. Following his £3m move, the Dutchman made just 16 appearances before Neil Lennon released him with a year to go. Derk’s divorce with Celtic was so bitter that he indicated the Hoops spoiled his career. Another major transfer gaffe for Celtic was with goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas in 2020. The Hoops paid £ 4.5m for a man who would later fail to command a starting berth at the club. After two seasons, and 16 appearances, he was released and joined Utrecht, where he is serving his second season.
