Where do Celtic need to strengthen in the January transfer window?

Celtic have had a successful start to the domestic season.

While the Champions League was no doubt a disappointment for Ange Postecoglou, the team have been almost flawless in Scotland.

They have won all but one game on that front, the 2-0 defeat to St Mirren being the outlier, and as well as sitting nine points clear at the top of the league the Parkhead side are also in the semi-finals of the League Cup.

There is no doubting the quality of the players in the current squad and clear evidence of this is the fact that most of them won a double last season. However, the manager always talks about needing to improve to function as a 'big' club. 

As a result of this, it is likely the Scottish champions will once again go into the transfer market to try to improve on what they already have.

The summer window saw nine players join the club. Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Daizen Maeda all put pen to paper on permanent deals while goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist arrived on a free followed by Alexandro Bernabei, Aaron Mooy, Moritz Jenz, Sead Haksabanovic and finally Oliver Abildgaard.

It is unlikely that a similar number of players will sign at the turn of the year but the former Postecoglou will no doubt be wanting to strengthen in a few areas.

He explained earlier this month that plans are already in place for the January window.

He said: "A couple of weeks ago, we sort of did our transfer planning.

"The bulk of the work’s been done. What this time gives me is a little bit of opportunity just to plan for the rest of this year and probably the next summer window."

Celtic have already been heavily linked with Vissel Kobe defender Yuki Kobayashi.

The Hoops currently have four centre-backs in the first-team squad, but it seems like it is a position that the club think needs strengthening.

Cameron Carter-Vickers and Moritz Jenz have occupied the bulk of the minutes in these positions as a central defensive partnership.

The American has played 1620 minutes across 18 appearances, according to Transfermarkt, while the man on loan from FC Lorient has clocked in at 1566 minutes on the field during his 19 appearances.

No doubt the ex-Spurs man would have accumulated even more game time had he not been injured, and the same could be said for Carl Starfelt as well, as he has missed significant periods of the season so far with various knocks. 

This could potentially be one of the reasons another defender is being looked at, given the physical demands of the position.

It also begs the question of where else the Parkhead side will be looking to add depth in January. 

One area could be in the middle of the park, specifically the number eight role.

Postecoglou's formation dictates that there are two players who fulfil these positions in the midfield.

While Matt O'Riley, Reo Hatate, David Turnbull and Aaron Mooy have all been involved heavily this season, it could be argued another playmaker is needed to add an extra layer of protection.

Tom Rogic previously filled this role, but since the Aussie departed at the end of last season, one could claim that his shoes have not been filled since. 

O'Riley and Hatate are clear starters as the creative forces in the middle of the park.

They have both contributed greatly in a defensive and attacking sense, with the Dane showing his adaptability since moving to the number six role after Callum McGregor's injury.

An example of how effective he has been can be seen in his stats which show that he has seven assists in 22 games so far this season, demonstrating how controlled and lucrative his creative output is. 

Both he and the Japan international will no doubt be attracting interest from a host of top clubs, so bringing someone in could cover for a potential exit either in January or the summer.

The other factors that must be considered in terms of this position are that Turnbull is still developing as a player, and Mooy is coming to the end of his peak years.

Both of these midfielders could have the burden on them lifted if another playmaker was brought in.

Somewhere else the Australian may look to add depth to his squad is in the striker department. 

Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis have undoubtedly been successful signings.

Between them, they have scored 56 goals and provided eight assists in 103 appearances.

It is going to take a player of real quality to keep both of them out of the team, but given the clear ambition that the ex-Socceroos coach has, this is the level of forward he will be hoping to bring in.

Being lethal at Champions League level is something the current strikers have struggled with, so another player in this position could be a solution to fixing this problem.

It is not cut and dry that these are areas the club are looking to recruit in, but considering the last three transfer windows at Parkhead, there is likely to be significant movement in and out of Celtic in January.

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. 

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