We have finally come to the end of the transfer window, and Celtic and Rangers both managed to do some decent business. Signings could set the precedence on who might dominate in Scottish football this season and both the teams were quite active in the transfer window.
Celtic’s major incomings
Celtic had to be pretty active as they had lost quite a few players from last summer whereas Rangers needed to add more quality to match Celtic on the pitch. The Hoops managed to sign as many as three players on the deadline day as they brought in the likes of Jeremie Frimpong, Greg Taylor, Lee O’Connor. Their earlier major signings were Hatem Abd Elhamed, Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo, Christopher Jullien, Fraser Forster, Mortiz Bauer and Mohamed Elyounoussi.
The Celtic fans might be slightly disappointed as plenty of them are only on loan. Once they depart, the Hoops will again have to be relatively busy in the transfer market to replace them. Nevertheless, they have managed to get the numbers in to fight on all fronts for another one year atleast.
Rangers’ major incomings
Rangers, on the other hand, did most of their business early as they brought in Jake Hastie, Joe Aribo, Jordan Jones, Filip Helander, George Edmundson, Andy King, Brandon Barker and Sheyi Ojo. However, Gerrard kept the best for his last as the Gers completed a late swoop for Ryan Kent permanently for a whopping fee of £7m. The English managed had insisted on numerous occasions that a permanent transfer is not within Rangers’ reach. But maybe the recent Old Firm derby defeat pushed the club to break the bank to land the English winger who had done so well last season.
Significant departures for the two Glaswegian giants
In terms of departures, Celtic’s biggest loss was Kieran Tierney. The Scotsman’s departure was a significant setback, and even though Celtic received plenty of money for him, the club didn’t invest much on bringing in his replacement. Rangers, on the other hand, were able to keep hold of James Tavernier and Alfredo Morelos who attracted some significant interest from top-flight clubs. The departure of Daniel Candeias can be said as the biggest loss for Rangers, but Gerrard has plenty of options on the flanks so that shouldn’t be a significant worry.
Final verdict
We expected Celtic to be a bit more active earlier on in the transfer window and that is probably what cost them a place in the Champions League for another year. Moreover, they have once again signed plenty of players on loan even though they should have had significant funds to sign top players. The Hoops have managed to keep the door open for Rangers to match them on the pitch as they haven’t gone off and acquired standout options.
Rangers, on the other hand, managed some coups which nobody would have expected them to get. Aribo, Helander and finally Kent were players who were being seen as out of Rangers’ league. There is no doubt that the Gers have gone ahead and won the transfer window over Celtic. But it’s time for them to produce the results on the pitch as well as that is where the Hoops are still the boss.
