Celtic sold for £49.5m and spent £36.2m on strengthening the squad, but the summer still ended with a midfield gap. They missed out on prime target Gvidas Gineitis after lengthy talks with Torino, while the mood around the window is split between fan frustration and a hierarchy that is likely to be content with the overall business.
Celtic's unfinished midfield business
The balance sheet is obvious enough. Celtic brought in far more from sales than they spent, and the recruitment carried enough volume to suggest a serious attempt to refresh the squad.
The issue is where the work stopped. Gineitis was the prime midfield target, and the failure to land him leaves a clear hole in the middle of the pitch. That is where the debate starts to bite, because the club can point to strong short-term league form while still admitting the squad was not fully put together.
Celtic have won their last five league games, and they have gone five straight unbeaten with all five ending in victories. Their Europa League return was less tidy, though, with 11 points from 8 matches and a 21st-place finish. The summer business improved the squad, but it did not solve everything.
Rangers and the scale of the rebuild
Rangers have gone through this again. For a second successive summer, they signed 14 players, and back-to-back league wins have given the new group an early lift.
The warning sign is the scale itself. A second 14-man rebuild in as many windows leaves very little margin for a slow start, and the European numbers from last season were poor enough to explain why the pressure remains high. Rangers finished the Europa League phase with 4 points from 8 matches and a -9 goal difference.
That is the part that hangs over the window. Recruitment volume gives McInnes options, but it also means the squad has to settle quickly, with expectations rising almost immediately after the deadline.
Falkirk added another layer to the summer churn, signing 17 players. Their overhaul looks even starker when set against the exits of Barney Stewart, Calvin Miller, Dylan Tait, Ben Broggio and Brian Graham. The window closed with Celtic still needing midfield clarity and Rangers needing early cohesion, which is exactly why the Scottish Premiership business feels unfinished.
FAQ
Has Celtic's summer transfer window been a success?
Celtic's hierarchy are likely to be content with the business they did, but fans are frustrated and the club missed out on prime midfield target Gvidas Gineitis after lengthy talks with Torino. They brought in £49.5m from sales and spent £36.2m on strengthening the squad, so the window looks productive on the balance sheet but unfinished in midfield.
Are Rangers better placed after signing 14 players again?
Rangers have signed 14 players for a second successive summer, which gives Derek McInnes a lot of new pieces to work with. Back-to-back league wins have bought the rebuild some breathing room, but the Europa League phase still ended with 4 points from 8 matches and a -9 goal difference.
Why are Falkirk being talked about after the Scottish Premiership window?
Falkirk's rebuild stands out because they signed 17 players and also lost their top five goalscorers, Barney Stewart, Calvin Miller, Dylan Tait, Ben Broggio and Brian Graham. That level of change marks them out as the division's clearest full-scale overhaul.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
