Even McGowan draws a blank on Lawwell’s transfer targets

With just six days left in the bleakest January transfer window in memory Stephen McGowan hasn’t got a single name to offer to Celtic fans.

For the best part of 20 years the Daily Mail, and previously Daily Express reporter has been the most reliable source of Celtic transfer stories.

At the end of November Estoril defender Tiago Araujo was getting the treatment, another fitting the project template but it seems that interest cooled off once Mark Lawwell sent details to Brendan Rodgers who was badly stung by projects through the summer.

In his final column before the window closes at midnight on Thursday McGowan never even name checked Araujo which suggests that interest has almost extinguished.

Summing things up tonight in the Mail, McGowan writes:

Right now, Brendan Rodgers would take his chances. He aspires to sign a better standard of footballer and a Bellamy or Keane type would fit the bill nicely. In recent windows the Celtic jersey has shrunk to fit too many inferior players and this was supposed to be the month that changed.

The reality, so far, has been rather different. With a week to go, £3million winger Nicolas Kuhn is the only new player so far. Despite the work in the background there is no hint, yet, of a new striker to provide some extra insurance for Kyogo Furuhashi. That new left-back to ease the workload on Greg Taylor? He hasn’t turned up either.

Offer Celtic fans a big name now and they’d bite your hand off. Speaking on Thursday, however, Rodgers hosed down expectations of a crowd pleaser with a water cannon. While he hopes to bring in a player or two before the window shuts, that return for Kieran Tierney will have to wait.

Stressing how difficult it is to buy quality in January, Rodgers won’t sign players for the sake of it and, on that score, he’s spot on. If the arrivals don’t improve the team, it’s a waste of time.

You can’t blame fans for screaming at Celtic to spend all that money in the bank. But last summer showed the folly of prioritising quantity over quality. Luis Palma has proved his worth. Paulo Bernardo and Maik Nawrocki are making strides and show some promise. You wouldn’t hold out much hope for the rest.

The logical conclusion is that Rodgers is no longer prepared to put his reputation on the line by being expected to turn Korean and Australian projects into Southampton targets.

With Lawwell Mini’s extremely limited contact network and no more recommendations from Carl Starfelt’s agent the stage is set for one loan coming in from the EPL in the last 48 hours of the window- someone like Jonjoe Kenny.

In the January 2020 transfer window Celtic signed Patrik Klimala and Ismaila Soro, 12 months earlier it was the joblot of Oli Burke, Timo Weah, Andrew Gutman, Manny Perez, Marian Shved, Vakoun Bayo and Jeremy Toljan.