It’s that time of the year when you dust the cobwebs off your bone idle summer backside, put the football brain into first gear and assess not only the challenges ahead but whether the team and squad are as prepared as they should be eight days from our opening (and vital) CL qualifier against FC Braga.

When assessing the squad and the mess Mowbray left behind it’s clear a LOT of work was required to turn the team around especially when you consider four players integral to Mowbray’s Celtic were loanees and destined for one reason or another not to return. Consideration also had to be given to Lennon’s comments to supporters immediately after the disastrous Scottish Cup defeat to Ross County when he openly advised that players would have to be sold to fund team rebuilding this summer as there was no other way. Lennon also made it clear he wanted a team with more grit and determination and wanted more Scots/Irish/Welsh/English players to provide additional bite.

So with barely a week to go before such a vital match against a very good Portuguese team just where is Neil Lennon with his team/squad rebuilding?

Out the door has gone the Holy one for a reported £3m to Fiorentina, McManus to Boro for half that amount, Zhi on a nominal fee, Naylor on a free, Mizuno on a Free, a youngster or two out on loan and massive amount of saved wages now pilling up in Eric Riley’s chastity belt following the departure of loanees N’Guemo, Kamara, Braafheid and Keane at the end of last season.

In the door marked arrivals has come Mulgrew, Cha Du-Ri & Ledley all on Bosmans, Murphy for £1.2m and Juarez for a reported £2.5m.

This leaves the squad looking as follows:

GK – Zaluska & Cervi.

Defenders – Hinkel, Caddis, Cha, Wilson, Mulgrew, Loovens, O’Dea, Hooiveld, Rogne, Misun & Thompson.

Midfielders – Brown, Crosas, Maloney (also attack), McGeady, Ledley, Ki, Juarez, Ferry, McGinn & McCourt.

Forwards – Samaras, Fortune, Rasmussen, McGowan & Sheridan.

As things currently stand and with the transfer deadline for new players eligible to play against Braga closing on July 22^nd, (with the exception of one late arrival permitted up to 24 hours before the away leg) we are looking at the following team (given a slight tweak here or there) to play in a massive, massive Champions League qualifier next week.

Zaluska

Cha, Loovens, Hooiveld, Hinkel/LB

Juarez, Brown, Ledley, McGeady

Fortune or Samaras & Maloney.

Bearing in mind the vital importance of next weeks match in both prestigious but primarily financial terms is it not pitiful (based on the managers earlier words) that the team (give or take one or two minor tweaks based on the current squad) has a spine made of jelly and at an absolute push you’d be lucky to find more than two real leaders within the group?

If you look in more detail at the incomings and outgoings over recent weeks it makes the position we are in even more bewildering when you consider the club has made a profit of £1m following transfer sales v purchases but, and this is the bigger point, is around £100k a week better of in terms of players wages saved. The following is indicative and based on the outgoing players is possible slightly less than the salary they were receiving.

IN                    FEE                 WAGES

Mulgrew        FREE             £6k

Cha Du-Ri      FREE             £10k

Ledley           FREE             £25k

Murphy          £1.2m           £17k

Juarez           £2.5m           £17k

TOTAL £3.7m             £75k

OUT                 FEE                 WAGES

McManus       £1.5m           £18k

Naylor           FREE             £12k

Boruc            £3m              £28k

Zhi               £300k           £10k

Mizuno           FREE             £5k

N’Guemo                           £12k

Kamara                             £20k

Keane                              £60k

Braafheid                          £15k

TOTAL £4.8m             £180k

There’s no doubting the club have made efforts to add Sol Campbell (FREE) and Jimmy Bullard (Loan) to the first team in the integral centre back and central midfield positions. Campbell certainly ticks all the boxes required of a steely experienced defender and in my opinion would do a great job for the club. However, Campbell made it perfectly clear a while back during an interview that as he was getting married in the middle of July before departing on honeymoon and he wouldn’t be available to play in one of Celtic’s biggest games of the season so…..that being the case surely Campbell’s name should have been struck off the wanted list and his name replaced by a strong, powerful centre back available to play in two such important ties? It really isn’t rocket science when you weigh up the importance of such a critical encounter against Braga with the immediate priorities of Celtic which must include reaching the final qualifying round of a tournament which offers the club the greatest financial bounty (by some clear profit margin) and once more lifts their profile to a stage where they should be performing every season against Europe’s best. Bullard is also a player who would enhance the team (when fit) and like Campbell would ensure the spine of the team started resembling something stronger than a lager shandy but as with Campbell the key aspect with both players was getting agreement they would be Celtic players partaking in the US tour ensuring they were familiar with new team-mates in advance of major qualifying games. If they weren’t as is clearly the case then plan b or c should have been put into operation and two players purchased in their positions who would have been.

There is too much bad planning and risk here for my liking something at Celtic we are all too unfortunately familiar with. With £100k a week in wages waiting to be spent and the bonus of £1m providing additional support why have more quality players in key areas of the team not already been purchased or are the club treating the European games as a nice wee bonus should they qualify with the league their sole priority this season? If this is the case, and I wouldn’t put it past them, it would be great to have just a little touch of honesty from the club for once.

What makes the current position of the squad even stranger is when you consider that everyone knows Aiden McGeady has been touted far and wide this summer with the certainty (failing any injury) he will be sold for a fee in the region of £8-10m. Would it be too much for the club to show just a little forward thinking and buy quality players in anticipation of his certain sale? Lennon wants McFadden and Bellamy and both players are not only available from their present clubs at realistic fees (£3-4m each) but have made it clear to Lenny they would love to join his Celtic revolution. Why doesn’t the club for once show some forward thinking by purchasing both players as the facility is there to pay the transfer fees and just as importantly the salaries too?

When you consider other first team players certain to be sold this summer – see below - and one or two other squad players it makes this summers lack of activity in strengthening the first team with quality players all the more perplexing.

* Other players likely to be sold.

*McGeady     £8-10m                            (£20k)

*Samaras      £1.5m  TBC                        (£18k)

*Hinkel          £2m    TBC                        (£25k)

TOTAL £11.5-13.5m             £63k

This really is a summer of opportunity for Celtic to rebuild and rebuild wisely. I’ve got absolutely no doubt quality players will arrive before the transfer window closes but by that time it may be far too late in Champions League terms. The SPL, and I say this watching the fire sale across the city, is an absolute shoe in when you consider we cannot and will not be any worse than last season BUT when you also factor in every player is up for sale at relatively low prices at Ibrox and only players on lesser wages or youth players will replace them. Boyd, Thomson, Novo and Beasley have already departed and Davis, Bougherra, Wilson, Miller and McGregor are all available for sale when the first reasonable offer arrives. They are a club in major decline and only a minor improvement from Celtic (although I expect far more) will be sufficient to return the league championship to Celtic Park.

With this in mind the people running Celtic should have had key players signed in preparation for the Braga matches as this in more ways than one sets us up for the season ahead. We may still get some very good players in by the time the deadline closes but why once more leave it so late when they’ve known for some time the club would be partaking in critical European matches during July?

Am I being too critical? I genuinely don’t think so as I see a serious attempt at Champions League qualification going hand in hand with reclaiming the SPL title.

We’ll find out soon enough and fingers crossed not only will Braga not be as good as I fear they are but our current group of players rise to the challenge and play two great games of football.

Here’s to a successful new season for Celtic!

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