Celtic's recruitment shift is becoming clear

[BBC] All the talk right now surrounds the imminent arrival of Haissem Hassan, with the Egypt winger reportedly undergoing his Celtic medical. If everything goes to plan, Hassan will become the latest exciting addition to Martin O'Neill's squad alongside Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh. Three players alone don't necessarily prove anything, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore what looks like a definite shift in Celtic's recruitment strategy. Compare the situation to this time last year. By early August, Celtic had spent around £1.5m on Shin Yamada and £250,000 on Hayato Inamura - two players who could firmly be placed in the 'project' category. Neither arrived looking ready to make an immediate impact, and ultimately neither move worked out. They weren't isolated examples either. Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Marco Tilio, Odin Thiago Holm and even Gustaf Lagerbielke all arrived for fees somewhere between £1m and £3m in recent times. Too many of those deals felt like speculative punts rather than signings designed to immediately improve the starting XI. And Celtic were stockpiling them. And that feels like the biggest difference this summer. Hogh hasn't come to Glasgow to sit on the bench. Neither has Duran, nor will Hassan. For too long Celtic have been guilty of bloating the squad with players who might develop into something rather than concentrating resources on those capable of making a difference immediately. Every now and again, of course, that approach can uncover a gem. The £1.7m paid for Benjamin Nygren, for example, now looks like particularly clever business. Far more often, however, you end up with players effectively training for a living at Celtic without ever seriously threatening the starting XI. There's another issue with that too. A first-team squad packed with players who know they have virtually no chance of playing must have an effect on the training environment, consciously or otherwise. In contrast, if Hogh's breathing down your neck, or Duran is threatening your place, or Hassan arrives ready to do the same, standards rise naturally. So while the slow nature of this transfer window has been incredibly frustrating at times, Celtic finally appear to be adding players O'Neill genuinely wants to use. Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange