Celtic had a pretty good summer transfer window. all things considered. Of course, Matt O’Riley leaving for Brighton & Hove Albion was a blow.
He was the club’s best player last season. But then, by this point, the Hoops are used to seeing their top performers depart immediately after having great seasons.
On the other hand, the club did bring in quite a few players. The only loan signing they made this summer was bringing in Alex Valle from Barcelona.
Valle will be competing with Greg Taylor for the left-back spot at Celtic. Is he going to be a long-term solution though? The Hoops are not believed to have a buyout clause included in the loan deal.
The rumours linking Kieran Tierney with a return to Celtic just refuse to go away. He was expected to leave Arsenal this summer, but has remained with the club.
That is probably because of the injury that he suffered at the EUROs and it remains to be seen when he returns to fitness. Eventually, could a move back to Glasgow materialise?
Former Celtic superstar tipped to make Parkhead return
Aiden McGeady seems to be of the belief that it will definitely happen at some point in time. As reported by CeltsAreHere, he said while speaking to Boyle Sports:
Tierney is in his mid-20s right now and one would think that he would want to remain in the top five European leagues at this point. But then, one cannot overlook his injury history.
Tierney has struggled with fitness issues going back to his time at Celtic. As a result, one can only wonder how many years of top level football he has left in the tank. It would be a risk for any club to shell out a significant transfer fee to sign him.
Celtic broke their transfer record this summer, previously held by Odsonne Edouard, when they signed Arne Engels from FC Augsburg for a transfer fee believed to be around £11 million.
Truth be told, not many Hoops fans would have been aware of the Belgian midfielder before the rumours emerged. But the club definitely must be convinced about his potential, considering the magnitude of investment they made for someone who has not proven himself at the top level yet.
Engels made his Celtic debut in the biggest game possible, coming on as a substitute in the Glasgow Derby, as Brendan Rodgers’ side got a comfortable 3-0 win against the Rangers. Then, he won his first cap for the Belgian national team.
It would be an understatement to say that big things are being expected from Engels. Now, it is up to him to develop and deliver.
He certainly seems eager to learn. And on the Belgian national team, he might just have the perfect role model in the form of Kevin De Bruyne. As reported by the Glasgow Times, Engels said:
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