One down, two to go – Brendan needs KT and a striker to make Celtic stronger

The Celtic Star

·28 janvier 2025

One down, two to go – Brendan needs KT and a striker to make Celtic stronger

Brendan Rodgers has continually assured the Celtic support that it was his intention to emerge from the January transfer window (which actually closes on 3rd February in Scotland) in a stronger position squad wise than when the window opened at the start of the month…

Jota signs for Celtic – The club have confirmed he’s back! Photo Celtic FC

The three players coming in appear to be Jota, Kieran Tierney and a replacement striker for want-away striker Kyogo.

Vidéos OneFootball

Jota was officially confirmed this afternoon by the club after a restless weekend fretting for the Celtic support as the conformation dragged on. So we have our Superstar from Portugal back, ‘richer’ for the experience of training in Saudi Arabia and France but starting just a handful of games since leaving Celtic in June 2023 after helping the club with a league and Scottish Cup double.

Jota loves playing for Celtic and he’s the kind of player who is at his best playing in a team on the front foot. He knows he’ll get that at Celtic and the best betting sites are firming their odds on further Celtic success and maybe even progress through the Champions League knock-out rounds now that the Portuguese star is back home in Paradise.

Kieran Tierney and Scotty Sinclair of Celtic celebrate their team’s third goal scored by Callum McGregor during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium on April 29, 2017. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Kieran Tierney and an as yet unconfirmed replacement for Japanese talisman Kyogo who wanted to leave Celtic for his own reasons, the most likely being to play in a top five league in order to make the Japan squad for the World Cup. Kyogo turned thirty this month so this new contract at Rennes could be financially beneficial too. Timing around that transfer was coordinated around Jota’s coming in the opposite direction and happened earlier this afternoon in Rennes and Glasgow.

Jota clearly has set himself up for life financially speaking after a season and a half away from Celtic playing in Saudi Arabia and earning huge sums and at Rennes where it just hasn’t happened for Celtic’s hitherto superstar from Portugal. He certainly looks happy to be back at Celtic and you can watch his first interview back with Celtic TV below.

Brendan Rodgers’ task will be to get Jota match-fit and he will want to develop his new signing’s game over the next four and a half years, as Jota will get to play his football before fans who love and adore him like few others.

Kieran Tierney is the other prodigal son coming home to Paradise and of course he knows Rodgers well having played under the manager during his first spell at the club which of course included that remarkable Invincible season in 2016/17 and the first of four consecutive trebles won by Celtic – something that’s unlikely to be repeated again in world football.

So with Jota already signed and Tierney expected imminently everyone at Celtic knows exactly what we are getting and the support will be thrilled with both signings.

Kyogo signs for Rennes. Photo Rennes FC

However it’s the third arrival that is going to determine the assessment of the manager and the club in his transfer window dealings. Kyogo wanted to leave and Brendan Rodgers has continually stated that he has no wish to retain players who want-away, a trap that Neil Lennon fell into in that ill-fated Covid season. It was of course with the best of intentions but it was flawed and it proved fatal to our chances of winning ten consecutive titles. Still 13 from 14 seasons is hardly a disappointment and Brendan is on course to make that 14 from 15 over the course of the next three or four months.

Kyogo told the Celtic manager in the summer that he wanted to leave Celtic and that means that the club has had six months to plan and prepare for the player’s January exit and to have a replacement and even, figures crossed, an upgrade in the pipeline.

Brendan Rodgers with the Premier Sports Cup after Celtic’s victory over theRangers on 15 December 2024 at Hampden Park. Photo Kenny Ramsay

If that plan comes to fruition then Brenda Rodgers, who has just celebrated his 52nd birthday will have more to reasons to smile by 3rd February when he can say to the support…“Job done”.

For now it’s two out of three ain’t bad but all fingers are crossed for our new striker!