Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has already revealed that he intends to be active over the winter in regard to trying to bring in new players to Parkhead as he looks to strengthen his squad and try and close the gap on Old Firm rivals Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
The Bhoys are currently six points adrift of the defending champions as the teams have entered the winter break, but the manager has already admitted that he will not be taking any additional time off as he seeks reinforcements, although he might want to check out Royal Vegas if he does want some time to himself.
Postecoglou recently told Sky Sports News that he wants the signings to be made as early as possible in order to allow them to integrate with his squad as quickly as possible, but did also warn that Celtic fans should not expect as many to arrive this winter as had in the summer window.
He said: “We are still with the intent of trying to bring them (signings) early and if we can and, from my perspective, it would be ideal if we can get them in from when we restart training and give them a lead into the second half of the year.
“I don’t think I will ever go through another transfer period like I did when with the first one when we had to bring in 12, that was something unique I think.
“This time we can be a little more measured, we’ve been working on it a lot longer, so, I know what we want.
“It’s still challenging, it’s not a precise science, but hopefully we get the ones we want we get them in early.”
One player that looks set to be arriving at Celtic Park this January, though, is Japan international Daizen Maeda.
The forward is expected to sign on an initial loan deal after an agreement in principle had been reached with Yokohama F Marinos about a transfer, after the forward admitted in December that he was interested in playing football abroad and testing himself against a different level of player.
Postecoglou knows the striker well after working together at the J-League outfit, and Maeda has a pedigree about him in regard to scoring goals after he finished last season as the joint-top scorer in the division.
He will be the second player to arrive from Japan since Postecoglou’s arrival as manager, as he will join Kyogo Furuhashi who arrived from Vissel Kobe in the summer and has proven to be a hit at Parkhead already. He has 16 goals in all competitions so far.
Additional arrives could follow from Japan, as well, with moves for Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi still being considered.
