The summer transfer window officially slammed shut towards the end of last month and it was a busy last few weeks of the market for Celtic and their incoming business.
It was a slow start to the summer for the Scottish giants, who did not make a single outfield signing before August, but they finished it with a flourish.
Viljami Sinisalo and Kasper Schmeichel both came through the door before the last month of the window, following Joe Hart's retirement at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Hoops then swooped to sign Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah on permanent deals, along with Barcelona left-back Alex Valle on a season-long loan deal.
It then got to deadline day, shortly after the sale of Matt O'Riley to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, and Brendan Rodgers dipped into the market to make three new additions to his squad.
Central midfielders Arne Engels and Luke McCowan came in from Augsburg and Dundee respectively, whilst centre-back Auston Trusty joined from Sheffield United.
Trusty has the task of displacing Liam Scales, as a left-footed central defender, in order to play alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers, who has been a rock at the back for Celtic for a number of seasons.
Cameron Carter-Vickers' current market value
At the time of writing (08/09/2024), Transfermarkt currently values the USA international at a whopping €14m (£11.8m) and that makes him the joint-highest valued player in the squad, alongside Kyogo Furuhashi.
In the summer of 2022, Celtic paid a reported fee of £6m to sign the central defender on a permanent basis after an initial year on loan with the club under Ange Postecoglou.
Carter-Vickers featured in 33 of the club's 38 Scottish Premiership matches in his season on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in the 2021/22 campaign, and won 68% of his defensive duels.
Appearances
25
29
Pass accuracy
91%
92%
Ground duel success rate
62%
59%
Aerial duel success rate
71%
74%
Clearances per game
3.4
2.9
As you can see in the table above, the American titan was a dominant figure at the heart of the Celtic defence in his first two seasons with the club as a permanent member of the team.
He has also won 67% of his duels and helped the Hoops to keep four clean sheets in four matches at the start of the 2024/25 campaign, which suggests that Carter-Vickers is on course for yet another impressive year at Parkhead.
Despite being the most valuable player in the Celtic squad and a consistently fantastic performer, there is a former Bhoys centre-back who is currently worth more than him – Kristoffer Ajer.
How much Celtic paid for Kristoffer Ajer
At the start of 2016, the Scottish giants swooped to sign the 17-year-old starlet from IK Start for a reported fee of just £650k, after the teenage gem had emerged as a first-team option for the side in his home country, in a deal that saw him officially join the club in the summer.
Curiously, Ajer played as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, and as a centre-forward for Start, and contributed with 14 goals and seven assists in 61 matches in all competitions, including seven goals in 14 games as a striker.
The Norwegian gem initially joined the academy team, and played five UEFA Youth League matches in the first half of the 2016/17 campaign, before being sent out on loan to Kilmarnock at the start of 2017 – making 16 Premiership appearances.
Ajer then returned to Celtic and made 24 appearances in the Scottish top-flight during the 2017/18 campaign, with all 34 of his outings in all competitions coming as a centre-back.
The Norway international went on to rack up 176 games in all competitions for the Premiership giants, contributing with seven goals and seven assists.
Along with providing an attacking threat from a centre-back position, the towering colossus, who was described as "faultless" by former boss Neil Lennon, also showcased his defensive quality in his final Premiership season with the club.
Appearances
35
Pass accuracy
89%
Clean sheets
17
Ground duel success rate
57%
Aerial duel success rate
67%
As you can see in the table above, Ajer was a dominant performer at the heart of the defence for Celtic and that form helped him to earn a move to the Premier League in the summer of 2021.
How much Celtic sold Kristoffer Ajer for
Brentford swooped in to sign him from Celtic for a reported fee of £13.5m ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, following their promotion from the Championship.
This shows that the Hoops struck gold with the central defender as they turned a £650k signing from Norway into a £13.5m player, who also made the best part of 200 appearances for the club in all competitions.
At the time of writing (08/09/2024), Transfermarkt places Ajer's current market value at €15m (£12.6m) and that means that, whilst he is still more valuable than Carter-Vickers, his value has decreased since his move to the Bees.
This is another reason why the Scottish giants hit the jackpot with the central defender, as his market value has not improved during his time in England.
Therefore, Celtic seemingly cashed in on him at the perfect time and have not, as of yet, lived to regret selling him for £13.5m, as that currently looks like a fantastic deal by the Premiership side.
Appearances
28
Goals
2
Pass accuracy
76%
Clean sheets
2
Duel success rate
64%
As you can see in the table above, Ajer did feature in 28 of Brentford's 38 Premier League games in the 2023/24 campaign, but only helped his team to keep two clean sheets, which suggests that he was part of a leaky defence for Thomas Frank.
Ultimately, his performances in England over the last three seasons or so have not been good enough to see his value rise above the fee Celtic paid for him, which is why they struck gold with the Norway international, despite him still being worth more than Carter-Vickers.
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ByDan Emery