Can Celtic start to rebuild some momentum ahead of the Scottish Cup Final?
On Sunday, the Hoops fought back from a goal down to draw 1-1 with fierce rivals Rangers at Ibrox, with Adam Idah equalising shortly after half time, before Daizen Maeda squandered a gilt-edged opportunity to snatch victory right at the death.
Brendan Rodgers’ side have therefore won only one of the five Glasgow derbies played this season, excluding penalty shootout victories, but it matters not, given that the Celts were crowned champions a week earlier, still a whopping 17 points clear at the top.
Nevertheless, Rodgers will still want to see his side get back to winning ways when third-placed Hibs visit Parkhead on Saturday, with the Scottish Cup Final against Aberdeen to come at Hampden a fortnight later.
Off the park, attention has already turned towards plans for the summer transfer window, so do Celtic have a player from within the Premiership in their sights?
Latest on Celtic's summer transfer search
According to a report by Stephen McGowan of the Herald, Celtic are ‘considering’ a move to sign Aberdeen goalkeeper Ross Doohan on a free transfer, with his contract at Pittodrie set to expire this summer.
Given that Kasper Schmeichel is currently sidelined due to a shoulder injury, Viljami Sinisalo has started Celtic’s last six matches in goal, earning decent reviews, with Graeme McGarry of the National outlining that the 23-year-old has taken ‘it all in his stride’.
It’s unclear where Doohan would fit into the pecking order, but his potential arrival could see current third-choice Scott Bain depart, having not featured since a two-minute cameo on the final day of last season.
Doohan, for his part, is currently second-choice at Aberdeen, behind Dimitar Mitov, albeit he has made 18 appearances this season, described as “brilliant” by Dons captain Graeme Shinnie, following Celtic’s hard-fought 1-0 win at Pittodrie in December.
So now, could the 27-year-old, who was previously on Celtic’s books between 2013 and 2022 without ever making a senior appearance, be set to return to Glasgow’s East End?
Celtic's best value-for-money signings from within the Premiership
It’s hardly the most inventive or ingenious strategy, but Celtic have often sign the best players from within the Scottish Premiership, not only strengthening themselves, but simultaneously weakening their rivals in the process.
Here is a selection of the most recent examples.
Luke McCowan
Dundee
£1m
37*
Benjamin Siegrist
Dundee United
Free
2
David Turnbull
Motherwell
£3.25m
134
Greg Taylor
Kilmarnock
£2.2m
213*
Scott Bain
Dundee
Free
78*
Jonny Hayes
Aberdeen
£1m
68
Lewis Morgan
St Mirren
£300k
31
Jack Hendry
Dundee
£1.5m
27
Nadir Çiftçi
Dundee United
£1.5m
26
Scott Allan
Hibernian
£275k
17
Ryan Christie
Inverness CT
£500k
151
Gary Mackay-Steven
Dundee United
£250k
62
Stuart Armstrong
Dundee United
£2.5m
144
*indicates that the player is still at the club
As the table proves, Celtic’s domestic signings over the last decade have been pretty hit-and-miss; Greg Taylor, Ryan Christie and Stuart Armstrong all made a big impression, while others, looking at you Benjamin Siegrist, contributed very little at all.
The Hoops’ most recent signing from within the Premiership is Luke McCowan, who arrived from Dundee on deadline day last summer for a reported £1m, and has impressed during his first season in Glasgow.
To date, the 27-year-old has scored six goals and registered seven assists in hoops, with Rodgers describing the midfielder as “absolutely brilliant”, adding that he’s probably “been unfortunate not to play more” throughout the season.
Thus, McCowan proves that value can be found within the Premiership, which is certainly something for Celtic to think about ahead of the summer.
Doohan, for his part, has gained plenty of experience since departing Celtic after seven years at the club as a youngster, making 80 appearances for Ayr United, 60 for Tranmere Rovers, 20 for Aberdeen and 19 in the colours of Forest Green Rovers.
In this season’s Premiership, Doohan has registered a 54.4% save percentage, saving 33 of the 59 shots on target he has faced, keeping only two clean sheets in 14 starts but, should he move to Celtic, that ratio would surely be significantly higher.
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