On Sunday we saw the value of our two January signings: Julian Araujo won Man of the Match, while Tomas Cvancara scored the opening goal. Time will tell if February’s three additions will prove as effective.
Junior Adamu (24) is primarily a striker but plays across the front line. Like Tomas, he joins from the Bundesliga, where has two and a half years with Freiburg. Junior’s first season at Freiburg was spent largely as a substitute, but he became starting striker in season 2024-25. That status ended in November 2024 when he was red carded for violent conduct at Dortmund and received a three match ban. The player never recovered his regular starting spot after that setback until April.
Celtic have an option to buy the Nigeria-born Austria international. 10 goals in his breakthrough season in Austria with Salzburg got him the move to Germany. He has played a lot of football for a 24-year-old, so should be ready for the challenge of the Scottish Premiership.
Norwegian Joel Mvuka (22) had an anxious wait before his move to Celtic was confirmed late last night after issues with his medical. Consequentially, the deal was downgraded from a permanent transfer to a loan with an option to buy. You have probably seen him before, he made substitute appearances in both Europa League games against Celtic in 2022
After spending 18 months at Bodo/Glimt, he earned a move to Lorient, where he has mostly been used in right-midfield. I’m told he has pace to burn and will get up and down the right side to support attacking and defensive play.
Benjamin Arthur (20) arrived on loan from Brentford, allowing Stephen Welsh to return to Motherwell until the end of the season. Brentford have high hopes for the player, so there was no chance of an option to buy.
The others going out the door were Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who managed to convince three managers he had no interest in being at Celtic. Life tip: recruit attitude before talent. Johnny Kenny leaves for Bolton Wanderers until the end of the season. Johnny endured a torrid run of form after such a promising display in the League Cup semi-final in November. You get the feeling his chance at Celtic has passed.
My big worry of yesterday was when Nottingham Forest bid £25m for Arne Engels. That figure has been Celtic’s ceiling, so any bid of that size would have caused serious thought, but with the title race so tight, it would have been too risky to sell a first-team player.
Under a different manager, Arne regularly started on the bench early in the season. The speed with which he went from being out of the team to being subject to a Celtic-record bid is fascinating.
The old mantra, we hope to leave the transfer window stronger than we went into it, was surely met. The squad lost fringe players and, even before yesterday, added significant value in Tomas Cvancara and Juian Araujo.
With Tomas, Junior Adamu and the return of Kelechi Iheanacho, Martin O’Neill has significant options for the striker role, which should allow Daizen Maeda to setting into the wide position. We are also hopeful of seeing Callum Osmand next month.
Kieran Tierney looks to have regained full fitness, while Marcelo Saracchi is back training and will be available for selection this month. Alistair Johnston is still some way from returning, but Araujo is a productive deputy, with Colby Donovan and Anthony Ralston as backup.
Auston Trusty and Liam Scales will be the focus in central defence; it remains to be seen what action Benjamin Arthur sees, or if he figures ahead of Dane Murray.
Martin is not short of options in the middle of the park. McGregor, Bernardo, Hatate, Engels, McCowan and Nygren have been used for the middle three positions. I expect might see Joel Mvuka in a deeper role – more like McCowan’s position than Yang’s.
Will it be enough? I would mistrust anyone confident either way on that question. With the two new signings we have seen, and the return to fitness of several absentees, in addition to yesterday’s business, we can at least be hopeful. One month in the roles, Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney have played their cards. It will be a fascinating end to the season.
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BBC Scotland ran with the big banner headline Forest bid 25 million for Engels for quite some time.
After Celtic (quite rightly considering the mess our board and DD left us in) turned it down, I waited for the big banner headline (for what was surely far more newsworthy) Celtic turn down 25 milllion for Engels.
Still waiting…
We all know that most of the BBC Scotland hacks want us to fail. We’ve also seen the way the refereeing and VAR is being used to try and enable that.
Time for us all to get behind the players and management team for the rocky road ahead.
Hail Hail
Any sentient being is in favour of buy low, sell high. It’s been the gospel of trading since Moses was a boy.
Like most in our support, I’m not in favour of buy assorted shite, ruin the team and sell for a loss.
Loan Players usually come with a fee attached often a large one. The five loan signings look to have a loan fee attached.
The loan players have their wages paid by Celtic again substantial amounts. The wages in Bundesliga(2) France(1) England (2) are higher than Scotland. These are 3 of the top 5 leagues in Europe.
The loanees out have all went to lesser teams who will pay only a fraction of their wages. Our loans in will be costing the club much more than our loanees out.
We also have 31 players plus 5 on loan plus Holm and Montgomery who are back but injured.
I estimate we spent £7 m on loan fees plus £3 on extra wages. So an estimated spend of £10 net. There is also option to buy to consider.
The much maligned Board reported to have turned down £25m for Engels
PETERLATCHFORDSBELLY on 3RD FEBRUARY 2026 4:59 PM
The contrast in how we reinvested the Jota and MoR fees tells the tale.
We used Jota’s £25 million to bring in 10 players and had £5 million in change left over. 10 players of which one is now contributing to Celtic.
We used MoR £25 million to bring in 3 players. All of whom played every single game of a successful CL campaign. Two of the three attracted fees for £32 million and Trusty was linked with two serie A clubs last week.
Interesting chat late on previous thread about how much each of our 3 managers got out of the team this season.
In terms of Points per game
Brendan, 9 games : 1.8
Wilfried, 6 games : 1.0
Martin, 9 games : 2.8
That’s this season in the league only mind
Worth pointing out that Brendan’s record before this season (both tenures) ranged from a good chunk better to much better.
In fact, he comes within a whisker of matching Martin’s record across a whole season (his first)
LARKIN1907 (1907, you’re pretty old by the way…)
It’s up now.
BBC” ‘Why did Celtic turn down £25m bid for Engels? ‘ No doubt with a negative spin.
My favourite is The Herald: “Celtic were outspent by St Johnstone in January – recruitment may cost them dear’.
We’ve got the SMSM rattled, and even their cheerleaders in the Celtic blogsphere might give it a rest for a while.
We are still in three competitions.
We are the only Scottish team good enough to be still in European football.
We have a good tried and tested interim manager until the end of the season.
We are on an undefeated run.
We have the biggest and most valuable squad in Scotland by a country mile.
We have a state of the art training facility
Now tell me why am reading on here we will win nothing this season.
HH, the journey continues.
BIGBHOY on 3RD FEBRUARY 2026 5:06 PM
The reports were that the fee was £20m plus £5m add ons
Oxlade-Chamberlain: Peace for our Tim?
On Arne’s worth I’m relaxed on a few fronts.
Regardless of fee paid, young players can take years to develop.
Brendan might simply have taken him out of the team for his own good during a fairly lengthy dip.
Plus (cynically perhaps) …
… I’ve seen some of the dross being bought for £25m plus in the EPL.
When it comes to talent, Arne is definitely ahead of a good few.
BIGBHOY on 3RD FEBRUARY 2026 5:06 PM
But, I agree, there’s no such thing as a free loan or a free transfer. It will all add up to a bigger operating loss
” Tim Malone Will Tell on 3rd February 2026 3:39 pm
When they were demolishing Griffin Park, I considered offering to buy the pillar to install it in front of my telly for old times sake.”
:-)))))
i think our operating loss is well into negative millions!
” celtic40me on 3rd February 2026 4:03 pm
I used two sit in the East stand at Highbury, you’d need to drop the ceiling in the living room to recreate the experience after they moved.”
….another good one in the same vein :-))
Played snakes n’ ladders maybe.
Some amount of absolute spoofers on here.
Would I be right in thinking that there has been an increase in confidence in the last few hours?
Maolmuire O Muirgheasa on 3rd February 2026 5:22 pm
What is a `spoofer` ?
That awkward moment when they put ‘Celtic’s German midfielder….’ Arne Engels
My favourite is The Herald: “Celtic were outspent by St Johnstone in January – recruitment may cost them dear’.
Indeed ! I Laughed at the upper stupidity of that.
Can only presume that the Herald sports desk was way too busy wondering who Sevco was going to bring in and had to borrow the person that normally does the cup cake recipe of the week for the ladies section to churn out some tat for them.
Not just wishful thinking but I feel Hearts will drop points tonight.
IMO, they are not any better than Hibs, Motherwell and maybe even Falkirk but, as often happens, things have gone their way but that won`t last all season.
Hot Smoked on 3rd February 2026 5:23 pm
Maolmuire O Muirgheasa on 3rd February 2026 5:22 pm
What is a `spoofer`?
*According to wiki a spoofer is a person or software tool that impersonates another device, user, or system by faking its identity. Spoofing attacks exploit trust—tricking users into believing the spoofed source is legitimate. These attacks can target emails, websites, caller IDs, IP addresses, and more.
It’s NOT the way I use it and I use it all the time, a lot of Canadians I deal with now know what I mean by it, and that’s usually someone who makes it up as they go along as I believe it came from a comic in the 70s
The Battered Bunnet on 3rd February 2026 4:22 pm
Last year celtic had a pre-tax profit of 45+ million and paid over 12 million in tax. That os not a club that is working to its full (in your words) champions league budget. I am also sure there was something like 55 million recievables as well. We also spent 10 of millions on the barrowfield development and on plant materials.
dont think you need to worry the many millions in the bank being lost any time soon.
Hoping for a buddies win tonight
half year interim accounts will be out soon.
wait till the body of the kirk see we have another profit.
Tontine Tim on 3rd February 2026 5:34 pm
Thanks for that and
Cheerio for now.
I wasn’t suprised when we settled for a window of loanees.
With a new manager due in at the seasons end I expected the cheque book to be locked in the desk drawer until then.
Time will tell whether the new bhoys are up for the job, however, I think we are still short in the midfield area.
Time to get behind the team now.
I think Hearts are much closer to the real deal than Aberdeen were last year. It could well be another 1986 scenario (if only!), but with sevco also in the mix.
But McInnes is easily rattled and Tavernier is a poster boy for losers everywhere. So I am pretty confident MON, Calmac and Keiran can steer the ship home.
to be honest im not that fussed at the moment if the players we have brought in are loanees.
we have a league to win.
if they help us do that then i will celebrate like fk.
then moan about it!
AuroraBorealis79 on 3rd February 2026 2:35 pm
Aurora.
What is a board media drop?
Is it the multi bulllyin pound deals for Chermite and Gossamer,thats an example of a willing drop on an only craven sym-pathetic to their narrative
Where bidding club denied and so did local news agencies,it didnt check out…pesky agents
But they stick out.
Is it where N.forest state a bid publicly?
Where sky report that bid.
Times 3 till bid failed at 5pm then 7pm.
We are that powerful?i dont think so as you will see tracking that failed bid was tracked openly on all media associated with the bestest league in the world.
Arne is the ‘lot’ the price is set with a buyer and seller not him
-I dare say gaslighting goes on tho not in this failed bid
I dare say you or I do not know the monies involved exc those released by forest,sky.
Martin wanted him kept that was it.
Time to climb up to that title
You on the rope wi me? :-)) house ye are
Hail Hail
Saint Stivs on 3rd February 2026 5:55 pm
half year interim accounts will be out soon.
wait till the body of the kirk see we have another profit.
———-
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lol SS
Was just about to post how we’ll recover some of last year’s corporation tax from this year’s losses …
… when i saw yours.
Will our new loan signings be available for selection v Stuttgart?
Celtic40me @ 4:28 pm,
Yes, it was very different but going to games and going to gigs and festivals was my thing back then.
No real desire to do it again…
The WHU tammy was just a “banter” thing – went to Highbury a lot more than Upton Park – mainly in the clock end though:))
West Ham had a real socialist background and Kier Hardiest working class element about it… the NF would be chased as more Milwall associated…
Of course through the eighties Thatcherism changed that.
But loved the days when the Ant-Nazi League was better supported than the Fascists…
Hail Hail
Maybe the season ticket monies that won’t be going to the board, I assume, can be used for this MON statue?
You see the problem for me is that even if the entire 60,000 don’t renew, the PLC still have 3 or 4 years worth of, season ticket value equivalent of ‘spare’ cash to cover any financial losses.
Who will have the resolve to boycott for 3 or 4 years?
I have a feeling that something truly Magical is going to happen at Celtic this season.
Boycotting is for season ticket renewal day.
Then we’ll see who is spoofing.
A boycott against Dundee in the SC might help Stephen Pressley to become our next manager.
Only saying.
PeterLatchfordsBelly on 3rd February 2026 4:50 pm
“If MO’N does win this league we should crowd fund a statue over the summer…”
BSR @ 4:51 pm,
Totally agree…
As I’ve said many a time, the “moneyball” aspect of recruitment should be good for a club like Celtic.
However, it must be carefully planned, with a compatible development structure in the club and be part of a holistic recruitment strategy i.e. quality, experienced professionals to backfill sales should be priority.
The Celtic Executive’s approach was lazy, a “recruitment model” that made their life easy
On top of that the implementation, like that of all things football, was between poor and non-exsistent.
Let’s look at Yang as an example…
A prospect on a five year contract that would take two years to develop into a first team player, then you want two seasons out of him then sell for a profit whe.n convenient, that could mean a contract extension.
However, the Board want these players utilised immediately, fast track development and sold asap…
Irrespective of the footballer…
Now with Kuhn that was managable and he could have been a poster bhoy for the “model” but of course, he wasn’t back filled properly so the team lost goals and assists it could ill afford.
Matt O’Riley is of course the poster bhoy for the model but even then because he was back filled by a player who cost 10 mn + at the behest of the manager, the same manager who had navigated the development and sale of Matt with aplomb – a faction of the Board was up in arms about the spend and undermined the player and manager at every opportunity to prove a point.
A very odd state of affairs…
Listening to Martin’s presser, it would seem to me a corner has been turned and uncommon sense has broken out in the Boardroom with regard to recruitment.
This of course could be a short term measure to dig the club out of the huge hole they made – and like Ange’s recruitment, is a temporary resbite.
Yet, surely they must understand a root and branch review of the club and a resteucturing is crucial for the club to stay competitive.
Hail Hail
But loved the days when the Ant-Nazi League was better supported than the Fascists…
—
wonder whose side Desmomd and the rest of the board would be on. 🤔
Chairbhoy, I was a clock end fan for a wee while too. It was a very long time ago maybe 83/84? Anyway do you remember there being a place to play football indoors at Highbury? My recollection is that it was under one of the ends and was rentable on Fridays.
But as I said it was a long time ago.
People who vote for pro “Cancel Culture” political parties are voting for fascism.
lets all do the huddle on 3rd February 2026 6:53 pm