Strange days – Finding yourself agreeing with Charlie Nicholas

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·26 de junio de 2025

Strange days – Finding yourself agreeing with Charlie Nicholas

Some of you may have read Charlie Nicholas’ comments in the media today and asked themselves, has Charlie been at it again – after all he does seem to be a bit of a whipping boy for some within the Celtic support whenever he offer his opinion on Celtic. But in this instance, he’s not just moaning for the sake of it.

Brendan Rodgers and the Celtic players post-match. theRangers v Celtic, 4 May 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

OneFootball Videos

This time, the former Celtic striker has put his cards on the table and claimed that Brendan Rodgers needs FIVE new signings this summer to push the Hoops beyond last season’s Champions League play-off round progress.

That’s not Scottish title talk; that’s his European ambition. And to be fair to him, he’s got a point.

“They need another five players – certainly another centre-forward, if not two. It’s another rebuild – maybe not on the same scale as previous years, but still vital if they want to compete at the next level. I reckon they’ll be six or seven players going out the door, and they’ll need to sign at least five to compete in the Champions League,” Charlie Nicholas said, as reported in Glasgow Times.

Daizen Maeda and teammate Reo Hatate are pictured with the Scottish Premiership trophy after the season’s final match against St. Mirren, on May 17, 2025. Photo IMAGO (The Celtic Star)

Now here’s where it gets interesting. While previous speculation circled around the likes of Nicolas Kuhn, Charlie believes it could be Reo Hatate or Daizen Maeda or both, heading for the exit door to balance the books. Nicholas also believes a seven-man squad clear-out is possible over the course of the summer transfer window.

As the news developed today it looks increasingly like he’s got his assessment on the Nicolas Kuhn situation all wrong, but we don’t know if things might change.

But instead of first team players, could we get away with selling just one, and could the sale of fringe players, negate the need first team regulars to be sold? Could that also raise decent cash, and free up the necessary wages – without damaging the core of the team?

Celtic v St. Johnstone – Gustaf Lagerbielke during the cinch Premiership match at Celtic Park, August 26, 2023. Photo Steve Welsh

So, who’s on the potential departure list this time? And this is my list, not Charlie’s.

Stephen Welsh – injury-hit and out of favour

Gustaf Lagerbielke – rarely trusted, even when fit

Maik Nawrocki – promising, but hasn’t convinced the manager

Yang Hyun-Jun – flashes of talent, but not consistent

Odin Thiago Holm – seems viewed as lightweight in midfield

Greg Taylor – solid servant, out of contract

Hyeokkyu Kwon – never truly featured under Rodgers

According to Salary Sport, that little lot could save Celtic £68k per week on wages.

29th July 2023 Aviva Stadium, Dublin Pre Season Friendly, Celtic versus Wolverhampton Wanderers – Hyeokkyu Kwon of Celtic FC looking for a way through the defence. Photo ActionPlus Peter Fitzpatrick

There’s a theme here – these are players who, for one reason or another, haven’t convinced. Whether through injury, inconsistency, or simply not being Rodgers picks, their time may be up.

Now the real question: Could selling this septet (I’ll admit I had to look that up) bring in enough to hold on to Hatate and Maeda, even if we can’t hang on to Kuhn?

Let’s do some Celtic-style arithmetic. Conservative estimates might look like this:

Welsh – £2.5m

Lagerbielke – £2.5m

Nawrocki – £2m

Yang – £2.5m

Holm – £1.5m

Taylor – out of contract.

Kwon – £1m

That’s potentially £12 million in sales – and maybe more if there’s interest from bigger leagues, or we use our Alex Bernabei calculator we appear to use for sales.

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic controls the ball under pressure from Serge Gnabry of Bayern Munich during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Add in what you would hope would be nearer £20m for Nicolas Kuhn, rather than the £15m currently being touted which seems underselling one of our best players, and Celtic, without dipping into reserves, could make in excess of £30m this transfer window, more than enough to sign the five players Charlie Nicholas feels Celtic need to progress in the Champions League.

That sort of figure could give the club the breathing room to also keep its Japanese core intact.

And let’s be honest – we can’t afford to lose Hatate and Maeda without proper replacements lined up. Both are proven Champions League performers, and in Hatate’s case, one of the best midfielders Celtic have had since the peak of the Rodgers first spell.

Celtic’s strength last season was in its starting XI. But in Europe, that only gets you so far. If we want to take that next step, we need depth, quality, and a further raising of the floor at squad level. That might just mean moving on from too many “project players” – although there is a place for those – and backing the manager with ready-made talent.

Frank McGarvey, Charlie Nicholas and George McCluskey, Celtic v Morton, 27 December 1982. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Charlie Nicholas might not always be popular with the Celtic support, but this time he’s asking the right questions. A large rebuild may not be necessary. But to fit Charlie Nicholas narrative of five in, seven out, and our best players kept? That sounds like smart business to me.

Niall J

Help raise funds for Celtic Youth Academy by playing the Celtic Pools Weekly Lottery and you could win up to £25,000. The lottery is £1 per week. Click on image above to join.