Celtic have identified two new positions they would like to strengthen in the January transfer window.
Top of the Scottish Premiership, preparing for a Premier Sports Cup final with Rangers and challenging for the Champions League last 16 play-offs, the Parkhead side have £77million burning a hole in their bank account.
And Brendan Rodgers wants to use some of that cash to sign a left-sided wide man and a young third striker to provide back-up for Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah.
Daizen Maeda remains the first pick on the left flank, with veteran James Forrest providing cover from the bench.
Honduran winger Luis Palma is struggling to make any impact at all, filling the role of unused substitute and playing just three hours of club football all season.
Palma notched a double in a 2-0 CONCACAF Nations League win for Honduras against Mexico last week and dedicated his goals to his late gran, who passed away recently. His international form could persuade clubs to offer him a crack at first-team football.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has a very clear plan of how he intends to strengthen his side
Daizen Maeda is the current first pick at left wing and has also played as a focal point up front
Winger Luis Palma is currently out of favour but his form for his country could spark interest
Rodgers spoke in August of the potential need for a younger third striker to come in and provide cover for Kyogo and Idah.
Content that Maeda could fill the role if necessary, the Parkhead boss admitted that other positions were a bigger priority in the summer.
Main Stand makeover kicked down the road
The proposed redevelopment of Celtic’s main stand looks set to become a staple of the club’s annual general meetings for years to come.
The fact the structure is long past its sell-by date can’t be ignored forever. And with a waiting list for season tickets of around 20,000, it’s not hard to see why supporters are pushing for the construction of a new centrepiece to take the stadium’s capacity from 60,000 to somewhere between 70,000 and 80,000.
But with the cost of borrowing still high and estimates of a rebuild currently around £100m, it doesn’t look like it will happen any time soon.
Might it be that the traditional Celtic End of the ground will get a makeover sooner?
At last week’s AGM, one supporter asked chief executive Michael Nicholson about a proposal to emulate Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall by fitting rail seating at that end.
And while Nicholson pointed out that the idea came from a supporters’ group, he didn’t exactly hit it for six.
Celtic Park is often sold out and many would like to see capacity increased to 80,000
Dortmund’s famous Yellow Wall features a standing section Celtic fans would like to replicate
‘We need to look at the practicalities of it as to where that might be located, and what the engineering challenges would be,’ he explained.
‘We’ll always make sure that we take into account the views of our supporters all around the stadium before we do anything.
‘It feels to me as if, instinctively, there does appear to be a demand. I was at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night for the women’s game. They’ve got safe standing behind both goals.
‘It does appear to be an area of interest for a lot of supporters.’
Celtic’s well-documented money in the bank certainly fires the supporters’ imagination.
One shareholder indicated that if some of it were put towards the construction of a new main stand, the shortfall could be covered by a crowd-funding scheme.
Others believe that the club’s healthy surplus would be better served subsidising tickets, especially at a time when people are struggling with the cost of living.
It was suggested that the club could use around £5m to reduce the price of a season book by £100 per head.
Despite vast amounts of cash in the bank, fans are unlikely to see a reduction in season-ticket costs
As eminently sensible as the suggestion seems, it does not look like it will get off first base.
‘It’s an area and a topic you wouldn’t believe the amount of time we spend on each year thinking about,’ said chief finance officer Chris McKay.
‘Over the last couple of years, we’ve increased the season ticket prices in line with headline inflation. If you look underneath that, the actual inflation that the business is subjected to is far, far greater than that.
‘So, we actually did take the decision to not pass on full cost increases and limit it to that number.
‘That number means paying a hard-working staff more or paying utility bills. People probably appreciate from their domestic situation they are through the roof — our rates bill with Glasgow City Council almost doubled, so we’ve absorbed a lot of that over the last couple of years.
‘But, notwithstanding that, we do recognise that as an issue for supporters.’
Training bases are a source of great pride to Rodgers
Celtic’s £20m upgrade to the training facilities at Barrowfield will see academy and women’s teams move in by January.
Largely unseen are a few improvements the club has made to the men’s first-team facilities at Lennoxtown.
Barrowfield has been subject to a £20million makeover and is set to open its doors in January
A new state-of-the-art medical centre has been brought in to ensure the best care for the club’s top players.
Praising the Parkhead board for their commitment to ensuring the best care for his side, manager Brendan Rodgers said: ‘It is great credit to the board and the club because it is something that they always want to do.
‘They always want to improve whether it’s facilities or anything to do with performance, both at Lennoxtown and here at the stadium.
‘So the new facility that we have at the training ground in terms of the medical centre… there’s other areas that are looking to be improved on there as well.
‘And it is important that you continue to do that because the game is evolving all the time, on and off the pitch. We as a football club want to continue those improvements.’
Why Forrest’s record-breaking trophy haul may be fleeting
James Forrest’s new one-year extension at Celtic has attracted extra attention as it puts him in pole position to become the most decorated player in the club’s history.
However, should he make that record his own later this season, the chances are it will not last for long.
Forrest has won 24 senior trophies over the course of his career since making his debut in the 2009-10 season and is currently one behind Lisbon Lion Bobby Lennox in the all-time list.
James Forrest is closing in on his 25th piece of silverware, which would see him match Lennox
With Celtic hot favourites for the league title and already in the final of the Premier Sports Cup, the 33-year-old winger will fancy his chances of picking up another couple of gongs this season and securing his place in history.
The problem is that Callum McGregor is already on his tail. The 31-year-old Celtic captain has 22 medals and gave up international football in the wake of Euro 2024 to prolong his club career.
Forrest looks destined to make a slice of history in the coming months, but the clever money would be on McGregor surpassing his achievement a short way down the line.
