John Collins has told Celtic they can only consider cashing in on key duo Arne Engels and Alistair Johnston after their Champions League play-off and if they have adequate replacements lined up.
The Hoops’ succession planning has come under intense scrutiny over the past year after they were widely deemed to have failed to replenish their squad accordingly following the sales of key attackers Kyogo Furuhashi, Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn.
West Ham are trying to strike a deal to land 22-year-old Belgian midfielder Engels, who was also the subject of offers from Nottingham Forest in January, while Canada right-back Johnston, 27, is a target for Everton.
While both players are expected to be sold, former Celtic midfielder Collins believes they should aim to keep hold of them until after this month’s Champions League play-off with Austrian champions LASK after they fell at the same hurdle against Kairat Almaty last year.
“It’s always a challenge, selling good, established players and bringing in new talent,” said Collins, promoting Premier Sports’ coverage of Scottish football.
“It’s nothing new, that’s the merry-go-round that all the clubs have. You sign young players, you develop them, the big boys from England come with the big money and tempt the players and ultimately you end up selling them for top dollar and you’ve got to replace them.
“The secret is, you have the replacement lined up. The day they leave, the replacement’s in, or the replacement’s in before they leave.
“It’s not as easy as it sounds but I’d like to think Celtic won’t be selling any of them before the Champions League qualifier. I think that would be a risk.
“If you ask any Celtic fan, they want to be with the big guns in the Champions League. They never got it last year.
“It was bitterly disappointing to go out against a weak team, so hopefully they can keep those key players that the big boys are after, get the result, get through and then if they have to sell them, they get good offers after that, and hopefully Celtic have had the time…
“I think everybody knew there was every chance there were going to be offers coming in for those two players, so they’ve had time to look for replacements.”
Celtic have made just two summer signings so far, although they have spent heavily on proven forwards Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran. Collins hopes his old club have “learned from last season” when he and many supporters felt “the recruitment wasn’t good enough”.
“I’m happy with the two forward players they’ve brought in, but they’re still needing to strengthen the squad, there’s no doubt about that,” the 58-year-old said.
“I’d like to see another midfielder with energy and legs, and I’d like to see another winger in, and maybe another centre-half. I think they definitely need to strengthen all over the pitch.”
:: Collins was promoting Premier Sports’ coverage of Scottish football, including more than 80 games in the Premiership, Premier Sports Cup and Scottish Cup. Fans can get a season’s coverage for £99 using promo code FITBA26.
