After months of speculation, anxiety and endless noise, the January transfer window has finally slammed shut. The headline - glaring, if slightly misleading - is we've come through the window without spending a single penny, instead welcoming five loan signings. Three of those deals - Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka - all come with options to buy, should they prove their worth between now and the end of the campaign.
So that's that then.
After months of speculation, anxiety and endless noise, the January transfer window has finally slammed shut.
And honestly? I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about how it all unfolded for Celtic.
The headline - glaring, if slightly misleading - is we've come through the window without spending a single penny, instead welcoming five loan signings.
Dig a little deeper, though, and there's nuance to that. Three of those deals - Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka - all come with options to buy, should they prove their worth between now and the end of the campaign.
And recent history suggests this approach can work. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota and to a lesser extent Paulo Bernardo have all served us well after joining in similar circumstances.
It's football's version of 'try before you buy'. The strategy of choice perhaps if you happen to have a particularly cautious and conservative board.
But we're now at the business end of the season where the margin for error is minimal and where any mis-steps could be costly.
Can Celtic really afford to deal in 'maybes'? Players who might hit the ground running, as Cvancara and Julian Araujo have, but who might just as easily struggle to find their feet in the chaotic environment of Scottish football.
There can be no doubt this signing policy is a gamble. A calculated one perhaps - but a gamble nonetheless.
Only time will tell if it's one that pays off.
Much faith has been placed in the judgement of Martin O'Neill and Shaun Maloney, both of whom played pivotal roles during this window. But whether the club landed their first, second or even third-choice targets remains to be seen.
What's harder to ignore is the prevailing mood of disheartenment as the 11pm deadline came and went.
And for a club with Celtic's resources, that should never be the case.
We did of course manage to keep Arne Engels despite a late play by Nottingham Forest - and it's a bold call to reject a double-your-money offer on your most expensive signing.
The coming months will tell us if that, and our quintet of loanees, have been the moves that will help us once again retain the title.
Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange
Category: General Sports
