McFadden Slams Celtic, Rangers Signings as “Shambolic” and Overhyped

James McFadden has delivered a forthright assessment of Celtic and Rangers’ transfer strategies, insisting the Hoops’ recruitment deserves far more credit than recent criticism suggests.

With the January window looming large and likely to influence who lifts the Premiership trophy in May, focus has turned to how Scotland’s top clubs are reinforcing their squads. Hearts have impressed for much of the campaign, while both Celtic and Rangers have endured difficult spells, fuelling questions over their consistency.

Despite that, the title race remains tantalisingly open. On the Open Goal podcast, it was suggested that Rangers and Hearts could be trusted more than Celtic when it comes to recruitment. McFadden was quick to push back.

The discussion centred on whether Celtic could realistically challenge for the league without adding quality in January. While there was consensus that the current squad may lack depth, McFadden insisted it was unfair to dismiss the club’s long-term transfer record.

“Over several seasons, Celtic have consistently signed players, improved them, and later moved them on for significant fees,” he said. “Last summer’s business was disappointing, but that shouldn’t erase years of smart planning and successful deals.”

He did concede that selling Kyogo Furuhashi last January without securing a replacement was a major misstep, and that recent windows had failed to address key weaknesses. Yet McFadden argued that judging Celtic solely on the past few months ignored a body of work that has delivered trophies and profit.

This season has been a struggle, leaving manager Martin O’Neill with a rebuilding task midway through the campaign. But since 2020, supporters have witnessed a steady flow of high-quality signings who have contributed directly to domestic success, including the historic Treble under Ange Postecoglou.

Players such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Cameron Carter-Vickers have all left their mark at Parkhead, reinforcing McFadden’s view that Celtic’s recruitment has remained among the best in Scotland, even if recent windows have fallen short of that lofty standard.