One of the most crippling facets of football rivalry is curiosity.

Outwardly, few fans admit it. But part of what drives our incessant love for one team is hinged on what the competition is up to at any given time.

We pretend we don't care, of course. We make out that our team is our world, and that whatever unfolds outside of that bubble is for the birds.

"I couldn't care less about them, I only care about us," you'll have heard a million times before at work, in the pub, on the terraces or all of the above – a facile sentiment that's often immediately followed by some form of mockery levied at a rival's latest on-pitch performance or sliver of off-pitch gossip.

It's no secret that whataboutery drives a proportionate chunk of football discourse in Glasgow – sometimes in less-than-savoury terms – but there are few passages in the annual Scottish football calendar where it's more prevalent than just now: the summer transfer window.

At the time of writing, Celtic have signed just two players since the current window opened on Friday, June 14. Viljami Sinisalo is hardly a household name (even in the east end of the city, as yet) but as a fledgling Finnish goalkeeper who's already turned out for his country, the 22-year-old is an exciting prospect for the future.

Veteran stopper Kasper Schmeichel is better known, of course, and is expected to carry the No.1 jersey forward – at the very least for the single year the 37-year-old has as yet committed his immediate future for.

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Patience is the biggest player in Celtic's transfer business

(Image: PA)


Not that we care on this side, but Rangers have so far brought in six new signings – seven if you count Diomande's loan deal being made permanent after his stint at Ibrox last season.

Celtic, on the other hand, are yet to even entice Adam Idah and/or Paulo Bernardo back to Scotland following the pair's successful loan spells during the same campaign.

Celtic's domestic trail also kicks off in just 16 days – on Sunday, August 4 against Kilmarnock at Celtic Park – but it's also worth noting there are still six weeks of the current transfer window remaining; it set to close on Friday, August 30 at 11.30pm.

I'm sure Brendan Rodgers would love to have Idah and Bernardo both mixing with the squad and running training drills across the pond this very second, but, with both players seemingly keen to return to Parkhead, for one reason or another making these moves official has taken longer than hoped.

For now, all we have to go on are cryptic social media posts and scant innuendo snatched from press conference soundbites. But, in all honesty? That's fine by me.

Philippe Clement has spoken freely about his desire to rebuild the Rangers side he inherited from the outgoing Michael Beale in October of last year, with a handful of long-serving players having already made way for new faces.

Despite being run close at times this side of the new year, Celtic lifted the Scottish Premiership trophy eight points clear of their rivals at the top of the table, and despite the tight scoreline, outplayed Rangers for the majority of their Scottish Cup final derby win as well.

Showcased best during their devastating 5-0 mauling of Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on the evening they clinched last season's league championship, Celtic are a team on the ascendancy under Rodgers – something which cannot be confidently said about their rivals at this moment in time.

What lies ahead remains to be seen, but Celtic already have a winning team, led by a winning manager, with a deep-seated winning mentality. As is the case every year, reinforcements across the pitch are essential in sustaining this, but with 42 days left to do so this time around, I'm confident in Celtic's scope to maintain their position of domestic authority from hereon into the 2024/25 campaign.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love for Celtic to open the cheque book and spend big on every position on the pitch, but history would suggest this is unlikely to happen.

With the new UEFA Champions League format on the horizon, I'd love Celtic to make in-roads in European football – and the most likely way of doing so is to bring in the players of quality Rodgers has noncommittally earmarked in the face of previous defeats.

But there's still plenty of time for this to happen, which makes patience a vital part of Celtic's transfer dealings this year for supporters.

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For what it's worth, I don't subscribe to the idea that getting Idah and Bernardo back in is the club standing still. I understand the sentiment, but I'd argue that standing still would instead see these players remain at their parent clubs.

With two goalkeepers signed, that's at least one area of the pitch covered. If Idah and Bernardo return, that's another two positions filled. The most vocal Celtic fans among us have spent the last several weeks crying out for cover in the left-back, left-centre-back and wide areas, and I can't say I disagree.

Speculation is thin on the ground with regards to those positions, but given talk of Schmeichel and Sinisalo came from nowhere virtually overnight, the internet rumour mill clearly isn't the be all and end all in these situations.

What is clearer is my own curiosity. I keenly await Celtic's new signings, safe in the belief that they'll come in time. I keep tabs on Rangers' transfer business because it's part of my job, but there's also a part of me peeking over the fence just to see what's going on over there.

Doing so lets me posit that player X, Y and Z is either one to watch or not up to much – and then I can confidently call for patience on this side.

You see, I don't care about my rivals. I couldn't care less about them, I only care about us. And you've heard that one before.