Celtic plan recruitment drive

Celtic coach Peter Grant revealed the Parkhead club are still looking to augment their squad ahead of their crucial Champions League qualifier against Dinamo Moscow in Glasgow next Wednesday.

Paul Hartley, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Shunsuke Nakamura, Bobo Balde and Scott Cuthbert have all left Celtic this summer leaving gaps that new boss Tony Mowbray is trying to plug.

The former Ipswich and West Brom boss has signed striker Marc-Antoine Fortune from Nancy for a reported fee of £3.8m while also recruiting midfielder Landry N’Guemo on a season-long loan deal from the French club.

However, Grant, a former Celtic midfielder, insists the search for players continues.

“We know we have a hell of a lot of good quality players here,” the former Celtic midfielder told Sky Sports ahead of tonight‘s friendly against Cardiff in Wales.

“If we can bring others to make the squad better and stronger, and get the guys up to the level that they are capable of, then hopefully we will have a very good side and one that is capable of progressing weekly and hopefully progressing in the Champions League.”

With Thursday the cut-off for signing players eligible to play in the third qualifying round, Marek Cech’s agent claimed that Mowbray is keen to be reunited with the West Brom left-back.

Cech’s agent, Juraj Venglos, told news agency SITA that Steve McClaren‘s FC Twente and Celtic are interested in the Slovakia international.

He said: “I can confirm that Twente would very much like to capture Marek.

“Apart from the Dutch club, Celtic are also maintaining their strong interest.

“But the problem is that West Brom do not want to release him. Roberto Di Matteo counts on him as a member of his squad for the upcoming season.”

Mowbray took Cech, 26, to The Hawthorns from Porto in a £1.4m deal last summer but he struggled to dislodge Paul Robinson, making only three league starts and five substitute appearances all term.

But much has changed this summer – with Mowbray taking charge at Celtic, Di Matteo stepping in at Albion and Robinson completing a season-long loan switch to Barclays Premier League Bolton with a view to a permanent deal.

Venglos admits his client could well stay in the midlands: “I believe that everything will be sorted properly within this week.

“It is also possible that Marek will spend another season at West Brom.”