Craig Bellamy & Georgios Samaras and 8 others top Key Celtic January transfers as Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers aims to replicate his successful recruitment strategies.”

Before Nicolas Kuhn arrived, January has been a slow month for Celtic. But now that he is here, things are about to get busy.

Brendan Rodgers has asked for quality, and he will be hoping that the Rapid Vienna player can make the difference for his team in the last few games of the Scottish Premiership season, just like some of the other important people who came in during the winter window. In the middle of the season, it can be hard to sign top players, but Parkhead has a history of getting the right person at the right time.

Rodgers has been in this position before, and he will know which players he wants to bring in before the end of the month. Mark Lawwell has been given the job of making the Irishman’s dreams come true, as the deadline is coming up quickly. That being said, Lawwell and the Celtic manager might look at past seasons to learn how to get the best deal.

Kris Commons

Kris Commons first came to Celtic Park from Derby County in January 2011. In his six-and-a-half years there, he won eight domestic titles. He scored ten or more goals in four seasons while playing for Neil Lennon, Ronny Deila, and Rodgers. What a left foot he had!

With 218 games played, Commons scored 91 goals during his time in Glasgow. He finally lost his spot when Rodgers moved north, and he was sent on loan to Hibs for the 2016–17 season.

Robbie Keane

On the last day of the transfer window in 2010, the Irishman moved from Tottenham to Celtic on loan for six months. A huge group of Celtic fans met outside the stadium just after midnight to watch him sign. Even though he didn’t win any awards during his time at Parkhead, he did score 16 goals for the Hoops in six months. In the end, Keane quit Spurs and went to Los Angeles to play for LA Galaxy with David Beckham.

Leigh Griffiths

The striker left Wolverhampton Wanderers and signed with Celtic on the last day of the January 2014 transfer window. He played in 261 games and scored 123 goals during his time at Parkhead. He won the league seven times, the League Cup five times, and the Scottish Cup four times because of all of this. Griffiths was loaned to Dundee during his last season at Celtic after boss Ange Postecoglou said he wouldn’t sign the striker again.

Daizan Maeda

The Japanese star has only been with Celtic for a year, but Ange Postecoglou made a great choice when she signed him. When Maeda first came to Celtic Park from Yokohama Marinos in January 2022, it was on loan. However, the Australian boss could have bought him in the summer.

Maeda may not score as many goals as Kyogo Furuhashi, but he has the most energy of any player on the Celtic team right now. English Premier League teams were interested in signing him in January because of how determined he is. Celtic fans love him for it.

Craig Bellamy

The Welsh scorer was signed by Martin O’Neil on the last day of the transfer window in January 2005. It was seen as a huge coup for the Glasgow club. Durham United boss Graeme Souness sent Bellamy on loan to Scotland because he was no longer liked there. When Rangers won the league title that year, Bellamy couldn’t stop them, but he did win his first professional prize, the Scottish Cup.

Georgios Samaras

The Greek scorer joined on loan from Manchester City in January 2008, but after a good run, he was given a permanent deal in July of that year. In the seven years Samaras played in Glasgow, he only scored 10 goals a few times, but he did get to that point a few times. Celtic fans had a love-hate relationship with Samaras because he wasn’t always accurate with his shots. However, he still won seven titles in his time in Scotland.

Stephen Pearson

The star player from Motherwell moved to Celtic Park in January 2004. He had some good and some bad times at Parkhead. In his first season, though, he won the young player of the year award. The Scottish Cup was one of the five awards Pearson won during his three years at the club. After some time, he left to play for Derby County in England. Celtic made about £400,000 on his move.

Mikael Lustig

The Swedish defender joined Celtic on January 1, 2012, but he didn’t play his first game until February, in a 1–1 draw at Pittodrie against Aberdeen. Lustig had to wait a while to win over Celtic fans because he had to work behind Adam Matthews and Emilio Izaguirre when he first started out in Glasgow. Rodgers made him a regular at Celtic right away, and his name was one of the first ones on the team sheet. When Lustig played in Scotland, he won 16 awards.

Ki Sung-yueng

During his two-and-a-half years at Celtic, the South Korean player became a fan favorite. Ki moved to Glasgow from FC Seoul in 2010 for about £2.1 million. He played 85 times for the club and scored 11 goals. The best game he played for Celtic was in the Scottish Cup in February 2011 against Rangers. For most of the game, Parkhead played with 10 men, but the South Koreans’ skill to control the ball helped them mount a comeback in the second half. He finally quit Celtic and joined Swansea in the English Premier League in 2012.

Matt O’Riley moved from MK Dons to Celtic and signed a £1.5 million, four-and-a-half-year deal. It’s possible that will be the best deal of the Postecoglou era. After that, the player won some awards and got his Denmark cap. Teams like Inter Milan have been linked with a move for him. Rodgers has given him a more driving role, and he has found his scoring touch under the Irishman. When he does leave, O’Riley will definitely want a huge fee that is more than £20m.