Celtic and the value of releasing marginal players this summer.

If you’re a Celtic supporter, the transfer window is officially open, and it’s time to brace yourself for the upcoming months of excitement!

Despite the excitement surrounding prospective new arrivals at Celtic, there are still considerations to be made about who may exit.

This isn’t the most fun issue; but, that shouldn’t overshadow how crucial this attempt is, particularly in terms of unloading fringe players.

Celtic will attempt to harness the value from peripheral assets.

Celtic’s casualty list appears to be building this summer. Genk is reportedly interested in signing Hyeongyu Oh in a deal worth up to £3.5 million.

Swedish outcast Gustaf Lagerbielke and forgotten man Sead Haksabanovic may also be on their way to Lecce and Parma, however it is unclear what the terms are.

Again, this is unlikely to get fans off their seats; however, shifting these assets helps to reduce bloating within the group while also opening up non-homegrown slots for European competition, with the added carrot of allowing young players to emerge from Lennoxtown.

Transfermarkt reports that Celtic received approximately £38.9 million in transfer fees during the 2023/24 season. That doesn’t even go into outgoing loanees and some of their wages becoming someone else’s responsibility.

Admittedly, Jota’s £25 million move to Al-Ittihad contributed significantly, but moves like David Turnbull’s £2 million moving to Cardiff City despite having five months on his contract and Yosuke Ideguchi’s £870,000 departure for Vissel Kobe demonstrate tiny profits that can be gained.

This summer, Celtic may decide to sell a handful of players for a reasonable fee. I’m not going to mention everyone because it would take up the next two lines, but Mikey Johnston, Benjamin Siegrist, Yuki Kobayashi, and Marco Tilio come to mind.

Brendan Rodgers may need to evaluate further possible prospects in preseason before they board the same boat. In any case, if the club wants to bring in a slew of new players, it will require a hard hand to make difficult judgements.

In the grand scheme of things, these minor efforts can serve as critical building bricks in the development of a Celtic squad replete with richly skilled players from top to bottom, as desired by the fans. Strap in; it could be a frantic few months ahead.

Long-term contract agreed upon; first Celtic summer exit on the horizon.

In other news, Long-term contract agreed upon; first Celtic summer exit on the horizon.