Further silverware might have been claimed across the past three years, although it could be argued that the rot truly set in at Celtic back in the summer of 2023, following Ange Postecoglou‘s exit from Parkhead.
From a raft of incomings in Brendan Rodgers‘ first window back at the helm, the only permanent signing still at the club is Yang Hyun-jun, excluding Paulo Bernardo, who was initially signed on loan.
Have the Hoops ever really recovered from that spate of poor signings? In terms of outgoings too, two of Postecoglou’s key lieutenants – Jota and Carl Starflet – were sold on, while veteran playmaker Aaron Mooy announced his abrupt retirement after just a solitary season in Glasgow.
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2023 summer signings |
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Nawrocki** |
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Palma** |
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Lagerbielke* |
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Holm** |
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Yang |
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Tilio* |
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Kwon* |
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Phillips* |
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Bernardo (loan) |
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*no longer at Celtic – **loaned out |
The Aussie midfielder might not have been the star attraction in that 2022/23 campaign, but his class and quality told, having represented another astute addition of the Postecoglou reign.
Remembering Aaron Mooy’s solitary season at Celtic
So often a source of frustration in the present day, Celtic’s midfield unit was at one stage brimming with talent under Postecoglou, having added the likes of Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley to the first-team ranks in January 2022.
The two men swiftly formed a delightful trio alongside ever-present skipper, Callum McGregor, while the Glasgow side also had real quality in reserve, be it David Turnbull or the aforementioned Mooy.
Signed on a free transfer in the summer of 2022, following a spell in China, the former Brighton and Huddersfield man initially took time to get going in a Celtic shirt, starting just one of the first ten Premiership games of the season.
That solitary start saw the ageing midfielder replaced at the break as St Mirren claimed a shock 2-0 win, with the view at the time having been that Mooy was lacking the physical capabilities to be able to thrive in Scottish football.
Thankfully, after those early teething issues, Mooy swiftly quashed the doubters thereafter, registering two assists on his second start against Hibernian, having even kept O’Riley out of the starting lineup for a spell.
In all, he ended that campaign with seven goals and 11 assists in all competitions, creating nine ‘big chances’ and averaging 1.3 key passes per game in the Premiership.
As Chris Sutton stated at the time, Mooy proved a “major part” in the success of that season, particularly after returning from the Qatar World Cup, having certainly “surprised” a few with his ability to oust O’Riley in the midfield pecking order.
Hopefully, the club’s new version of the now-retired midfielder can prove just as influential in this title race.
Celtic’s new Aaron Mooy could help drag Celtic to the title
There have been problems all across the park, not least at centre-forward, with interim boss Martin O’Neill having had to put out fires in every department this season.
Celtic must finally sell £1.4m star who’s becoming the new Edouard
Celtic have plenty of decisions to make this summer and should show the door to a midfield star who’s struggling under Martin O’Neill.
That’s been no more true than in midfield, with Callum McGregor still the only consistent figure in the side, with Arne Engels only just returning from injury, and Reo Hatate having gone off the boil after netting just once all season in the Premiership.
With Paulo Bernardo among those who have been almost exiled of late, it has fallen on new man Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to try and provide that spark, following the Englishman’s late arrival back in February.
Like Mooy, who had been flirting with the idea of retirement even before joining Celtic, ‘The Ox’ might have felt his career was heading to a climax, having been without a club since leaving Besiktas last summer.
With the deadline having come and gone, however, O’Neill moved to snap up the 32-year-old on a free transfer, with the Hoops repeating their Mooy gamble by banking on a player whose best work had come years earlier in England, at both Liverpool and Arsenal.
Like in the case of the Aussie, it’s not been all plain sailing so far, even with the former Three Lions star netting a last-gasp winner on debut against Livingston.
Indeed, Oxlade-Chamberlain was particularly out of sorts in the Glasgow derby at Ibrox last month, hooked at the break in similar fashion to Mooy’s sluggish first-half outing at St Miiren back in 2022.
The aforementioned Sutton suggested that Celtic’s new man looked like he was playing “in a testimonial“, although after that early battle to get up to speed, he now appears to be flourishing.
As a player who has won Premier League and Champions League honours at Anfield, Oxlade-Chamberlain might well be the man to help drag O’Neill’s side over the line, with the Parkhead outfit still just three points behind leaders Hearts despite a season of chaos.
It was the ‘veteran’ who notably decided proceedings against St Mirren last time out after netting his second goal for the club, having been a class above on the day, registering two ‘key passes’ and boasting a stellar 94% pass accuracy rate.
As was the case with Mooy, form and fitness are temporary, but class is permanent, with Celtic’s number 21 also shining a week earlier at Dundee, successfully completing three of his four attempted dribbles, while winning four duels in a battling midfield performance.
Just as it was for Mooy, he looks to be getting sharper and more influential with each passing week, hitting his stride at the perfect time with just five league games remaining.
Perhaps it will only prove another short-term relationship, with Oxlade-Chamberlain’s current deal set to expire this summer, yet on current evidence, he’s looking like yet another bargain signing for the Hoops.
Celtic hold talks to sign £2m Oxlade-Chamberlain upgrade with “elite pace”
Celtic are already thinking about the summer transfer window, holding talks to sign a much-needed midfield upgrade.
