GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - APRIL 11: Celtic huddle ahead of kick off during the William Hill Premiership between Celtic and St. Mirren at Celtic Park on April 11, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)
At 10.30pm on Wednesday Joel van den Berg was getting the big welcome to Celtic treatment.
The social media roll out, the video clips, wearing the famous hoops, all the usual stuff.
A short time earlier Martin O’Neill had told a media conference that he wasn’t sure about the status of that transfer.
Despite van den Berg travelling on the team bus to the Aberdeen match. Being all kitted out and watching the match from the stand.
Accompanying the announcement O’Neill told the Celtic website:
We are really pleased to bring Joel to the club. He is a hungry young player with real talent and technical ability and I believe he has a very exciting future ahead of him.
I think he is a player that our fans will enjoy watching and I know he will be an important addition to our squad.
Today van den Berg was left out of Celtic’s Europa League squad.
There are numerous examples of Celtic’s scatter-gun approach to recruitment.
WHERE DOES VAN DEN BERG FIT IN TO THE CELTIC MIDFIELD?
If it isn’t the timing of the deal, or signing an injured back up player it will be signing players and finding that they aren’t suited to the system that Celtic play.
Last summer Celtic signed two left wingers in the final week of the transfer window. Earlier they had sold right winger Nicolas Kuhn and didn’t bother replacing him.
O’Neill has never been big on squad rotation. When he finds a winning side he tends to stick closely with it.
Van den Berg will need to play his way into the Celtic side domestically.
Callum McGregor and Ben Nygren seem clear first picks.
Coming in on loan for a season Oliver Sorenson won’t be expecting to sit on the bench.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain wants to be as involved as possible, as does £6m summer signing Mika Baur.
While missing the physical presence of Arne Engels O’Neill is now overloaded with midfield options.
Also missing from the Europa League squad are Chelsea duo Landon Emenalo and Shim Mheuka plus Jota.
Next up for Celtic is away days at St Mirren and St Johnstone before a League Cup tie at Ibrox.
Baffling Joe that decision, Martin can be strange the best of times….
Would be interesting to find out how Celtic encouraged him to join us. The lure of the EL, Shirley not……..
Bonkers strategy. Sorensen looked like a fraud last night.