It has been a very busy week concerning all things Celtic – and it does not look as if that business will be letting up anytime soon.

After Brendan Rodgers’ side easily disposed of St Mirren 3-0 last Sunday, all focus shifted to matters transpiring this week for the club, both on and off the park. With the small matter of a Glasgow Derby taking place at the end of the week, most – if not all – of the focus has been on Celtic’s transfer business, as well as the Champions League draw, which took place on Thursday evening. 

And what a draw it was. Indeed, Celtic will face tough opposition in the form of Borussia Dortmund, Aston Villa and Atalanta away from home, but this steely Rodgers side will back themselves against top-class opposition. Apart from RB Leipzig – a familiar foe in recent years to Celtic – the ‘magic button’ pressed by Cristiano Ronaldo in Monaco on Thursday proved to be a lucky one for Rodgers and his players, too.

Slovakia’s Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys of Switzerland and Belgium’s Club Brugge will travel to Glasgow to pit their wits against the champions of Scotland, three ties you could earmark as being ‘winnable’ over 90 minutes – especially at Celtic Park. All of a sudden, that surge of negativity which seemed to be around the club’s off-field – or lack of – transfer business this summer seems to be evaporating.

You could say that Arne Engels and Auston Trusty may have played their part in this turnaround, too. According to various reports on Thursday, both the FC Augsburg midfielder and Sheffield United defender will be plying their trade in Scotland very shortly. A combined £17 million will be the fee that Celtic will pay for the two incoming players, £11 million on Engels alone – a new record fee for an incoming player.  With rumours still swirling on potentially more new acquisitions, the mood music is far more positive than this time seven or so days ago.

Yes, Matt O’Riley has left the building for pastures new with Brighton – who has picked up a lengthy knee injury after nine minutes of action – though his name is not the one on everyone’s lips presently. This time last week, he seemed to be the only story in town with his ‘will he/won’t he?’ saga involving clubs like Atalanta and Brighton. While he leaves with the fondest memories in the supporters’ minds, the time for a new era has arrived at the football club. 

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As mentioned previously, the Glasgow Derby has been a bit of an afterthought this week so far, given Celtic’s busy schedule on both the transfer and European front. Understandable, considering the magnitude of both sectors in the make-up of the club’s season as a whole. After 11 pm this evening, ALL eyes will be laser-focused on the latest iteration of arguably football’s greatest rivalry, as 60,000 passionate home supporters will descend upon Celtic Park with hopes of another memorable Glasgow Derby victory. 

Three wins and one draw since his ‘box office’ return would point towards a favourite tag being placed over Celtic and Rodgers against Philippe Clement’s Rangers side, though these games have a mind of their own at the best of times. Shocks and surprises can happen, whether that be unfamiliar scorers, or heroes becoming villains for the day and vice versa. With the appetising prospect of going five points clear over your rivals a very real possibility in the coming days if all goes well. What an opportunity to create a gap between you and your likely challengers, as well as set down the earliest of markers for the upcoming campaign.

Cast your collective minds back to this time last year, as Celtic were heading to Ibrox with an unconvincing and depleted squad. Drawing 0-0 at home to St Johnstone signalled the alarm bells from all fronts, as Rodgers was under pressure to deliver. While he came away with a famous victory against all odds in Govan that day, the atmosphere surrounding the club presently has changed – and for the better. 

This can be down to a number of things. Firstly, the slight but apparent awkwardness of Rodgers being back at the helm has evaporated completely, which has boded well for the atmosphere and overall feeling of everyone involved at the club. Secondly, the players at the club seem to have completely bought into the style and philosophy that the manager has worked hard to install on them – including players who looked unsure in the shape of Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi, amongst others.

Celtic Football Club seems to be a very happy place to be presently. Any quick glance at training photos or interviews will back up that lofty claim. That can only be a positive for everybody involved in the short, medium and long-term future of the side, both on and off the park. Although there have been some grumblings from the support about the time taken to bring new bodies in, it would seem that their concerns will be addressed by the time the window shuts tonight at 11 pm. In essence, this can only help boost the morale of those most important to the club – its supporters.

To conclude, it looks as if everything is rosy once again at the club, from their on-field performance to their business off of it. The real proverbial ‘cherry on the cake’ would be both to add those last-minute signings for European escapades and to keep Rangers at arm’s length – or more – at the close of play on Sunday.

It's up to Celtic to finalise what would be a pretty perfect week in every possible way.