CALLUM McGREGOR praised the Celtic new Bhoys – and promised Hearts the champions will be relentless when the teams meet at Parkhead tomorrow afternoon.
Brendan Rodgers spent £32million in the summer market and broke the Hoops transfer record TWICE as he sought to strengthen his squad for the challenges at home and abroad.
The £9million paid to Paris Saint-Germain for striker Odsonne Edouard had stood as the all-time high for six years before the club splashed £9.5million on Adam Idah from Norwich City.
And that fee was overtaken shortly afterwards when Belgium international Arne Engels was recruited from Bundesliga outfit Augsburg with an £11million price tag.
PARADISE…Callum McGregor acknowledges the Celtic fans after the 3-0 derby win.
The midfielder arrived on deadline day along with £6million central defender Auston Trusty from Sheffield United and another middle-of-the-park performer Luke McCowan from Dundee.
Paulo Bernardo, £3.5million playmaker, had already joined in a £3.5million switch from Benfica after last season’s convincing loan campaign while Danish legend Kasper Schmeichel came in on a free from Anderlecht and back-up keeper Viljami Sinisalo was added the cost of £1million from Aston Villa.
Left-back Alex Valle was brought in on a year-long deal from Barcelona.
Schmeichel has kept four successive league clean sheets as the champions have racked up 12 points while Engels and McCowan both made debuts in the 3-0 derby triumph at the start of the month.
An impressed McGregor said: “The guys have been first class since they came in. It’s nice to see them up close and get to know how they train and the way they behave.
RECORD-BREAKER…£11million recruit Arne Engels celebrates his derby debut victory alongside Alistair Johnston following the 3-0 triumph over the Ibrox outfit.
“They all have brilliant attitudes and there’s a huge amount of quality on the training pitch.
“It’s still early doors for them, so we just continue to try and help them in any way we can.
“When they go on the pitch, I’m sure they’ll give everything for the team, they’ll start to settle in and you’ll see what they’re all about at that point.”
Tomorrow’s opponents from Tynecastle have yet to win this season, but there is no chance McGregor and Co will ease up in their bid for a fourth successive title.
The skipper, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “There’s no getting away from the start they’ve had, it’s not been ideal in terms of what they would have wanted, but for us, we take these games in isolation.
“Everyone raises their game to play against us, so our idea is to go and dominate the game and be as aggressive as we can.
“We know what they can do and what they can do at Celtic Park, so tomorrow we’ll give everything to the game to make sure we get a positive outcome.”
McGregor also celebrated his honour of being voted the Premiership Player of the Month of August, as CQN reported earlier today.
WELCOME BACK…beaming boss Brendan Rodgers and £9.5million striker Adam Idah during the 3-0 win over St Mirren.
Remarkably, the consistent engine-toom operator had never won the trophy before and he added with a smile: “There’s a first time for everything.
“We’re off to a great start and with all of these things, you never get there without your team-mates.
“So, thank you to them as well because they’ve been so good.
“When you get some goals, and the type of goals that I’ve scored, it’s nice and it will always attract more attention.
“I’m really happy and pleased with how we started the season, but we know we’re only a month in and we need to continue to keep pushing.”
