Transfer window: Celtic's 10 most expensive players

Most Celtic fans would concede they are happy with the club's recruitment over the last 18 months.

The arrival of Ange Postecoglou has ushered in a new era of transfer business at Parkhead, one in which deals have mostly been conducted quickly and efficiently. 

Players such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Josip Juranovic, Reo Hatate, Matt O'Riley and Cameron Carter-Vickers have all hit the ground running and become established first-team players.

Of course, there are a couple of exceptions to this rule. Yosuke Ideguchi and James McCarthy, for example, have struggled to make an impact at the club.

Beyond that, Postecoglou has had a remarkably successful hit rate in the market so far. This is particularly true in signing quality players at low fees.

He has spent significantly on some players, though, as the Scottish champions have tended to do over the last few decades.

With that in mind, and as we're halfway through the latest transfer window, we've decided to take a look at the club's top 10 transfers and, crucially, how they get on at Parkhead...

10. Kyogo Furuhashi (£4.6m)

The first player on this list is also one of only three players in this category who is still at the club.

Arriving not long after Postecoglou himself in July 2021, Kyogo was the first of six Japanese players to sign for Celtic under the Australian so far.

His success no doubt laid the groundwork for his fellow countrymen later joining the club.

Coming from Vissel Kobe in the J1 League, the forward arrived with a pedigree as the division's top goalscorer.

He has since taken the Scottish game by storm, netting 38 times in 62 games for the league leaders as well as providing six assists.

The 27-year-old has become the focal point of Postecoglou's attack and provided vital moments such as a double in last season's League Cup final and the recent late equaliser at Ibrox.

9. Rafael Scheidt (£4.8m)

All the jokes about the defender have been made at this point. Signed by John Barnes, the Brazilian was doomed from the start.

Scheidt arrived from Brazillian side Gremio for a fee of £4.8m in late 1999. At that time it was the second-largest transfer fee the club had ever paid for a player.

An injury delayed his debut after he suffered ligament damage - and he never really recovered from there.

He was capped 16 times for his country before landing in Glasgow, albeit 13 of those were appearances for the Olympic team.

Featuring only twice for the Hoops, in a 6-2 win vs Dundee and a 4-1 win over St Johnstone, he departed the club in the summer of 2000 after the arrival of Martin O'Neill.

He told us all about his side of the story in a Big Interview here.

8. Neil Lennon (£5.75m)

The Northern Irishman was one of the many statement signings from O'Neill in his first season at Parkhead.

Joining from Premier League side Leicester City, having won two League Cups with his fellow countryman, Lennon was always going to command a large fee.

The midfielder was the second big-money transfer O'Neill made after already landing Chris Sutton.

It proved to be an excellent bit of recruitment as the player remained at Parkhead until the summer of 2007 and would leave having had a spell as club captain.

He was a pivotal leadership figure on and off the park under O'Neill and then Gordon Strachan.

Lennon left the Hoops for the first time having netted five league titles, four Scottish Cups, two Scottish League Cups and also an appearance in the 2003 UEFA Cup final.

7. Eyal Berkovic (£5.75m)

Berkovic arrived in Scotland from West Ham in 1999 for a then club record fee of £5.75m.

He played 32 times for Celtic and scored 10 goals before moving on loan to Blackburn during the 2000-01 season and eventually signing for Manchester City the following summer.

6. Cameron Carter-Vickers (£5.95m)

It is hard to find the words to describe how great a signing the American has been.

After a successful loan spell which saw him play a significant part in the Hoops winning a double, Carter-Vickers signed a five-year deal in June 2022. 

The 25-year-old has been a stalwart at centre-back and has very rarely put a foot wrong. A fee of £5.95m seems like a bargain for a Champions League-level defender who has already played 71 times for the club in less than two full seasons.

5. John Hartson (£6m)

The Wales international was yet another statement signing by O'Neill in 2001.

Arriving from Coventry City, the striker would go on to score 109 goals in 201 games across five seasons. He bagged some crucial goals against Rangers and in Europe; it was ultimately his strike that clinched the league title in Strachan's first year in charge too.

It was a large fee that the club paid for him but he was more than worth the significant outlay. 

4. Chris Sutton (£6m)

Celtic smashed their transfer record for the second time in two years when they brought Sutton to the east end of Glasgow in 2000.

The Premier League winner, who had struggled at Chelsea, was convinced to try something different by O'Neill and, along with Henrik Larsson and later Hartson as well, the Englishman formed a formidable relationship that led to great individual and team success. He left in 2006 having won seven trophies.

3. Jota (£6.5m)

The Portuguese winger was an instant hit after arriving from Benfica. Originally on loan, he made his move permanent last summer along with Carter-Vickers. 

Destined to be a Champions League-level player, the 23-year-old has 21 goals and 20 assists in 65 appearances for the Scottish champions.

While it was a significant fee for the club to pay, it could be argued the move has been very much value for money already given his extensive highlight reel includes vital goals against Aberdeen, Ross County and Rangers as well as a screamer of a free-kick against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu.

2. Christopher Jullien (£7.1m)

Jullien signed from French Ligue 1 side Toulouse in the summer of 2019. He remains Celtic's most expensive defender and, while only having one full season in which he was able to make an impact, it was certainly a memorable one.

The centre-back contributed greatly to the Hoops winning the quadruple-treble during the 2019-20 season. While being a rock at the back, he also provided some big moments in the opposition box with a late winner against Lazio and the only goal in the 2019 League Cup final against Rangers.

Ultimately his career at the Scottish champions was hampered by injury before he ended up moving back to France with Montpellier in the summer 2022 transfer window.

1. Odsonne Edouard (£9m)

Finally, number one on this list is Odsonne Edouard. The Frenchman's permanent move to Glasgow from Paris Saint-Germain in 2018 is the highest fee the club have ever paid for a player.

It was money well spent as he won three consecutive trebles, including during his loan spell, and scored 88 goals in 179 appearances before departing for Crystal Palace.

Fans will be hoping that the Celtic will continue to spend in this current transfer window and that long term the manager will continue to be backed so that if Postecoglou wants to break that transfer record the funds are in place to do so.

This piece is an extract from the latest Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team. 

To receive our full, free newsletter including this analysis straight to your email inbox the day BEFORE it appears on the website, click here and tick the box for The Celtic Digest