The summer season switch window formally slammed shut in the direction of the tip of final month and it was a busy previous couple of weeks of the marketplace for Celtic and their incoming enterprise.

It was a sluggish begin to the summer season for the Scottish giants, who didn’t make a single outfield signing earlier than August, however they completed it with a flourish.

Viljami Sinisalo and Kasper Schmeichel each got here via the door earlier than the final month of the window, following Joe Hart’s retirement on the finish of the 2023/24 marketing campaign.

The Hoops then swooped to signal Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah on everlasting offers, together with Barcelona left-back Alex Valle on a season-long mortgage deal.

It then acquired to deadline day, shortly after the sale of Matt O’Riley to Premier League facet 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 got here in from Augsburg and Dundee respectively, while centre-back Auston Trusty joined from Sheffield United.

Trusty has the duty of displacing Liam Scales, as a left-footed central defender, in an effort to play alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers, who has been a rock on the again for Celtic for quite a lot of seasons.

Cameron Carter-Vickers’ present market worth

On the time of writing (08/09/2024), Transfermarkt presently values the USA worldwide at a whopping €14m (£11.8m) and that makes him the joint-highest valued participant within the squad, alongside Kyogo Furuhashi.

In the summertime of 2022, Celtic paid a reported charge of £6m to signal the central defender on a everlasting foundation after an preliminary 12 months on mortgage with the membership beneath Ange Postecoglou.

Carter-Vickers featured in 33 of the membership’s 38 Scottish Premiership matches in his season on mortgage from Tottenham Hotspur within the 2021/22 marketing campaign, and gained 68% of his defensive duels.

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, the American titan was a dominant determine on the coronary heart of the Celtic defence in his first two seasons with the membership as a everlasting member of the workforce.

He has additionally gained 67% of his duels and helped the Hoops to maintain 4 clear sheets in 4 matches at the beginning of the 2024/25 marketing campaign, which means that Carter-Vickers is on target for yet one more spectacular 12 months at Parkhead.

Regardless of being essentially the most invaluable participant within the Celtic squad and a persistently improbable performer, there’s a former Bhoys centre-back who’s presently value greater than him – Kristoffer Ajer.

How a lot Celtic paid for Kristoffer Ajer

In the beginning of 2016, the Scottish giants swooped to signal the 17-year-old starlet from IK Begin for a reported charge of simply £650k, after the teenage gem had emerged as a first-team choice for the facet in his dwelling nation, in a deal that noticed him formally be a part of the membership in the summertime.

Curiously, Ajer performed as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, and as a centre-forward for Begin, and contributed with 14 objectives and 7 assists in 61 matches in all competitions, together with seven objectives in 14 video games as a striker.

The Norwegian gem initially joined the academy workforce, and performed 5 UEFA Youth League matches within the first half of the 2016/17 marketing campaign, earlier than being despatched out on mortgage to Kilmarnock at the beginning of 2017 – making 16 Premiership appearances.

Ajer then returned to Celtic and made 24 appearances within the Scottish top-flight in the course of the 2017/18 marketing campaign, with all 34 of his outings in all competitions coming as a centre-back.

The Norway worldwide went on to rack up 176 video games in all competitions for the Premiership giants, contributing with seven objectives and 7 assists.

Together with offering an attacking menace from a centre-back place, the towering colossus, who was described as “faultless” by former boss Neil Lennon, additionally showcased his defensive high quality in his last Premiership season with the membership.

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, Ajer was a dominant performer on the coronary heart of the defence for Celtic and that type helped him to earn a transfer to the Premier League in the summertime of 2021.

How a lot Celtic offered Kristoffer Ajer for

Brentford swooped in to signal him from Celtic for a reported charge of £13.5m forward of the 2021/22 marketing campaign, following their promotion from the Championship.

This reveals that the Hoops struck gold with the central defender as they turned a £650k signing from Norway right into a £13.5m participant, who additionally made the perfect a part of 200 appearances for the membership in all competitions.

On the time of writing (08/09/2024), Transfermarkt locations Ajer’s present market worth at €15m (£12.6m) and that implies that, while he’s nonetheless extra invaluable than Carter-Vickers, his worth has decreased since his transfer to the Bees.

That is one more reason why the Scottish giants hit the jackpot with the central defender, as his market worth has not improved throughout his time in England.

Due to this fact, Celtic seemingly cashed in on him on the excellent time and haven’t, as of but, lived to remorse promoting him for £13.5m, as that presently seems like a improbable deal by the Premiership facet.

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, Ajer did characteristic in 28 of Brentford’s 38 Premier League video games within the 2023/24 marketing campaign, however solely helped his workforce to maintain two clear sheets, which means that he was a part of a leaky defence for Thomas Frank.

In the end, his performances in England over the past three seasons or so haven’t been ok to see his worth rise above the charge Celtic paid for him, which is why they struck gold with the Norway worldwide, regardless of him nonetheless being value greater than Carter-Vickers.