Sound strategy signing up players such as Scales, Forrest, Yang and McCowan

At boardroom and recruitment level Celtic is a bit of a basket case at the moment, and I’m hoping for huge changes in those departments this summer, but I have to give kudos to them for something they have done recently…

I would say Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney will have had a big hand in recent events but their decision to sign up Liam Scales, Hyun-Jun Yang, Luke McCowan and James Forrest for the foreseeable future should certainly be applauded.

Whoever comes in as manager will need reliable players like those mentioned in his squad. They might not be glamorous, but they will be essential components within our squad next season.

This summer will see the biggest overhaul of the squad since Ange Postecoglou arrived

This summer will see the biggest overhaul of the squad since Ange Postecoglou arrived after the shambolic ‘covid season’, and during such a chaotic period of change you need a core group of players who you can rely upon who have been there and done it all before.

None of the four that have been signed up are guaranteed starters but they have all proved this season that they are capable of making a positive impact within the squad. While in the latter stages of his career, James Forrest will be a hugely important figure for those new bodies coming into the club. His experience will be vital.

James Forrest is still able to perform at the highest level

I think this will be Forrest’s last season at the club before he ultimately retires from football as a Celtic legend. We have seen that Forrest is still able to perform at the highest level. He is a great option from the bench and is technically still the best winger we have within our squad, although maybe not as lethal as he was a few seasons ago.

We haven’t got close to Yang’s full potential

I have already wrote an article previously stating how happy I was at Yang signing a new contract. The Korean has improved year after year at Celtic and I still think we haven’t got close to his full potential. At 23 he is still really young and it’s a great piece of business securing him for the future. He was excellent this season and his best years are still to come.

Luke McCowan is worthy of a place within our squad

Luke McCowan is a player who splits the opinion of Celtic fans. Whilst he hasn’t set the heather on fire during his time at the club, he has certainly contributed enough to be worthy of a place within our squad. He’s a Celtic fan and clearly knows what it means to represent the club. He’s a player who sometimes flatters to deceive but is also capable of moments of magic.

That exquisite pass against the Rangers just a couple of weeks ago is a prime example. Finding players who are happy to not be a starter every week but still highly capable of changing a game when they do get the chance isn’t easy. I’m more than happy to keep him during a time of upheaval like the one we are about to experience.

Liam Scales deal is the best bit of business of the lot

Last but not least is Liam Scales and I think this was the best bit of business of the whole lot. I genuinely struggle to understand how the Irishman still has a considerable amount of haters amongst our support.

Scales was at times phenomenal this season, especially towards the end when we needed him the most. Is he capable of the odd misplaced pass? Absolutely. I’ve been frustrated by this as much as anybody at times. To me however that is his only real weakness. Defensively he is fantastic.

There are similarities between Scales and Carl Starfelt, another who was solid defensively but often had lapses with the ball at his feet. I think however that Scales is the better of the two.

It amazes me that every small error Scales makes is highlighted

It amazes me that every small error Scales makes is highlighted yet the same can’t be said for the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers when he was playing. That’s another thing, Scales availability. As his defensive partner CCV struggled with yet more injury problems this season, Scales was there week in week out.

I can’t disagree with the strategy of signing up players such as Scales, Forrest, Yang and McCowan. We have seen from some of the horrendous signings last summer and loan signings in January that finding players capable of even making the match day squad can be tricky.

So why not stick with players already tried and trusted? We could do a lot worse than having those four players in our squad next season.

Conall McGinty

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