Former Celtic player and manager, Kenny Dalglish has claimed that his former side is in store for a tougher summer than their Glaswegian neighbours.
‘There will be quite a bit of work taking place at both Celtic and Rangers during the close season,’ Dalglish wrote in his Sunday Post column.
‘If anything, I expect there to be more goings-on at Parkhead than over at Ibrox. A number of Celtic players will leave, and several new ones will be brought in.’
That much is guaranteed. Scott Allan and Dedryck Boyata have already confirmed their summer departures. Meanwhile the likes of Oliver Burke, Jeremy Toljan, and Filip Benkovic will return to their parent clubs after loan spells. The same can be said of Youssouf Mulumbu who is due back at Celtic Park after a loan spell at Hertha Berlin. But there will be a major shake-up in the rest of the squad. Scott Brown confirmed as much this week.
“There will be a clear-out at the end of the season and a lot of people will be leaving and there will be a lot of new faces coming in as well,” he said.
Who those new faces will be remains open to interpretation. West Brom youngster Rekeem Harper remains a major target after Celtic rolled out the red carpet for the midfielder last weekend. The 19-year-old has been capped for England at youth level but is set to be available in the summer after failing to agree on a new contract at the Hawthorns. Harper is a target for several English Premier League sides but could take the ‘Moussa Dembele Approach’ and head north for regular first-team and European football.
Another player at the top of Celtic’s summer shopping list is Fikayo Tomori. The 21-year-old defender has had an outstanding season at Frank Lampard’s Derby County after joining on a loan deal from Chelsea. Lampard recently said it was “scary” how good the centre-back has been and would like to make the loan deal permanent in the summer. One suspects that would be dependent on whether or not Derby can get past Aston Villa in the Championship Play-off Final on Monday.
But of course, transfer business can’t really happen until Celtic appoint a permanent manager. Brendan Rodgers left Celtic Park for Leicester City in February and the club’s head of recruitment, Lee Congerton joined him a month later. Suitable permanent replacements will need to be found, something which Kenny Dalglish reiterated in his column.
‘The Celtic hierarchy will have to make sure there is absolute clarity between both incumbents.
‘There is room for both roles at big football clubs. Indeed, I’d say it’s a necessity to have them at Celtic.
‘However, if a clear definition of who is doing what, and where a final decision rests, are not crystal clear from the outset, then you will create confusion and problems down the line. That is guaranteed.’
It will be fascinating to see who Celtic appoints to both roles. David Moyes remains amongst the favourites but the Scot has been joined by another surprise name in recent weeks, Andre Villas-Boas. The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss has been out of work for a couple of years after leaving the Chinese Super League back in November 2017. He is the new favourite for the Celtic Park hot seat, a place currently filled by Neil Lennon.
Lennon has been in temporary charge since Rodgers’ departure and helped his side secure the Premiership title on the weekend. It has been reported that he will sit down for talks with the board about the permanent job after the Scottish Cup Final on the weekend. The Bhoys are the major 2/5 favourites to pick up the silverware on Betway as of 21 May. Their opponents Hearts are out at 7/1 for the clash.
Regardless, it will surely be a huge match for Neil Lennon personally. Victory would secure a third successive domestic treble for Celtic and surely play in his favour in the running for the permanent position. Celtic play their UEFA Champions League qualifier just six weeks after the Scottish Cup Final so it’s fair to say that it will be a huge summer for the club.
Meanwhile across the Old Firm divide, Rangers have enjoyed a productive first season under Steven Gerrard. They should have a summer of relative stability and will be adding some quality to their midfield with the arrival of Steven Davis. The Premiership gap was just 9 points this season and Celtic will have to be smart in the coming weeks to avoid it getting any smaller next year.