There is no doubt that when Celtic FC get it right in the transfer market, they get it right. Just look at Larsson or the profit made from Matt O’Riley’s move to Brighton.
However, things don’t always go well, and there are more than a few signings that have failed to live up to the hype. And we’re reviewing some of the worst below, so read on!
Celtic FC Transfers that made History
This season, Maeda’s price tag of £1.4 million has looked like an incredible bit of business with the forward chipping in with 30 goals and 9 assists across all competitions. As the joint-top SPL goal scorer, UK sportsbooks and bookmakers not on Gamstop have the player as favourite to top the table at the end of the season.
James McCarthy is a recent example that looked like it could have been an excellent addition, with the Glasgow-born Republic of Ireland international having tons of Premier League experience with Wigan, Everton, and Crystal Palace.
While his ability has never been in doubt, the fact that he only managed to make 27 appearances in 3 years due to injury problems makes him a disappointing addition. His weekly salary of £14,000 per week also ended up costing the club millions.
When Shane Duffy signed from Brighton on loan during the 2020/21 season, fans believed the club had pulled off a masterstroke and that 10-in-a-row was in the bag. However, it soon became apparent that Duffy didn’t suit Celtic’s style of play and often looked out of his depth.
He has since spoken out about his struggles, and despite lifting the Scottish Cup, he has looked back on the spell at his boyhood club as a disappointment as he failed to handle the pressure.
It is believed that Celtic paid a loan fee of around £1.5 million as well as covering his £40,000 per week wages, making it a costly blunder.
When Celtic signed Sierra Leone striker Mohamed Bangura from AIK for £2.2 million, fans were excited to learn that he had been recommended by club legend Henrik Larsson.
16 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, and 2 loan spells later and fans were happy to learn that the player’s contract was terminated in January of 2014. It was also rumoured that a mistake had been made, and the club had signed the wrong Bangura from AIK, as fellow Sierra Leone international Ibrahim “Teteh” Bangura was playing for the club at the same time.
While it is unlikely that the club forked out more than £2 million on the wrong player, fans could be forgiven for believing it, given his performances in the hoops.
Over the years, Celtic have made several signings that have looked like more of a marketing ploy than an attempt to improve the playing squad, and Du Wei fits into that category.
He joined on loan from Shanghai Shenhua in the 2005/06 season and made his debut in a shock 2-1 defeat against Clyde, a game that also saw the debut of Roy Keane. Du Wei didn’t feature again and spent the rest of his career in China, earning 71 caps in the process.
When Celtic spent £5 million on Vasilis Barkas, the club was getting a Greek international goalkeeper with a good pedigree. Unfortunately, he never got his Celtic career off the ground, and he made just 11 saves in 24 appearances, conceding 23 in the process.
After Neil Lennon’s departure, Barkas seemed to get a second chance under Postecoglou, but the addition of Joe Hart saw his chances limited. He left on loan to Utrecht before joining permanently in 2023.
When it comes to producing world-class talent, there are not many clubs that can claim as many as Ajax, and Derk Boerrigter, as an exciting £3 million addition for Celtic in 2013.
His debut against Ross County was a sign of things to come when he came off injured, and he only went on to make 26 appearances for the club over 3 years. After being released at the end of his contract in 2016, Boerrigter retired due to persistent injuries.
Perhaps the ultimate bad signing for Celtic is Rafael Scheidt. Scheidt by name, Sh*te by nature, the Brazilian centre-half signed for around £5 million from Gremio in 1999 but failed to make an impression, playing just 3 SPL games. He was loaned out to Corinthians but failed to meet work permit requirements, and Celtic paid off the rest of his contract so he could join Atletico Mineiro.
It later transpired that his caps could have been part of a scam where officials were paid to play fringe players in friendlies to give players a better chance of earning a move to a European club.
Carlton Cole enjoyed hundreds of games in the Premier League for West Ham and Chelsea, as well as earning 7 caps for England. It is fair to say that he was well past his best when he signed for Celtic, and his only goal came in a 3-0 Scottish Cup victory against Stranraer.
Olivier Tebily was an Ivory Coast international who made an impressive start to his British career in his brief spell at Sheffield United before John Barnes brought him to Celtic.
An own goal in a pre-season friendly against Leeds and several poor performances later saw him earn the nickname ‘Bombscare’. After being away on international duty, Tebily returned in time to face Inverness Caledonian Thistle in ‘that’ game. Barnes did not survive the shock loss, but Tebily remained at Celtic as a squad player until moving to Birmingham in 2002.
The addition of Evander Sno may be a bit unfair, but he came labelled as an exciting prospect by the Ajax Youth Academy via Feyenoord. The defensive midfielder was at the club for 2 years, making 43 appearances before returning to Ajax in 2008. He was more of a player who never reached his potential, and for that reason, he was a disappointing signing.
Diego Laxalt joined the club on loan from AC Milan at the same time as fellow disasters Shane Duffy and Vasilis Barkas. It looked like Lennon had a great window by adding Elyounoussi, Turnbull, and Ajeti, but we all know how that turned out.
Despite Laxalt being a Uruguayan international who had played in Serie A for Inter Milan, Genoa, and AC Milan, he struggled in Scotland and was part of a squad that failed to capture 10-in-a-row.
Edson Braafheid was a strange player who had managed to sign for Bayern Munich and came on in the World Cup final of 2010. Despite an impressive CV, he was never consistent for Celtic during his loan spell.
Speaking of strange careers, Oliver Burke is definitely one to mention, having moved to RB Leipzig for £13 million early in his career before returning to England for £15 million with West Brom in 2017.
The former Scotland international has moved from club to club since and is still only 28, but his spell at Celtic was a disappointment, with the attacker failing to make much of an impact.
Adam Virgo joined Celtic from a pre-Premiership Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee of around £1.5 million and only made a handful of appearances between loan spells at Coventry and Colchester.
Mainly playing as a defender but also known as someone who could slot in anywhere, he later claimed he was lied to by manager Gordon Strachan before being dropped for fellow disappointment Du Wei.
The £2 million signing of Harald Brattbakk in 1997 seemed like a no-brainer after the prolific Norwegian scored almost a goal a game at Rosenborg.
At Celtic, he never hit that same level of form and became a figure of fun for opposition fans despite scoring 13 in 44 appearances. The spectacle-wearing, trained accountant never looked like a footballer, but he still managed to score the goal to deny Rangers 10-in-a-row.
He eventually left to join Copenhagen in 2000 before returning to Rosenborg in 2001, becoming the club’s all-time top goal scorer with 181. 2 of these goals came against Celtic in a 2001 Champions League Group stage game as Rosenborg won 2-0.
Since hanging up his boots, Bratbakk has gone on to become a pilot, which is definitely one of the more interesting careers for a former footballer.
Tyler Blackett joined Celtic on loan from Manchester United in August 2015. The highly rated defender represented England at all youth levels from Under-16 to Under-21, but his time at Celtic was largely forgettable.
After returning to Manchester United following his loan spell, the versatile defender moved to Reading under Jaap Stam, where he enjoyed more regular football.
While he only played 8 games for Celtic, he was a major disappointment for many fans who were expecting a player bursting with potential.
Football is a strange game where players can sometimes fit into a new team and hit the ground running, or struggle to settle in and fail to live up to their price tag. The pressure of playing in front of 60,000 fans can sometimes be too much, but there are always some signings that you just wish never happened, especially if you’re into sports betting.
