Ange Postecoglou insists a winter training-camp will be like gold for Celtic.
And the Parkhead manager is already putting transfer plans in place to try and ensure his squad is fully tooled-up when they get there.
For five years since first going under Brendan Rodgers, Celtic headed to the Middle East and Dubai for their warm-weather gathering during the mid-season shutdown.
The most-recent trip 11 months ago, however, turned into a nightmare.
Controversy raged over their decision to even travel during the Covid crisis and cases and contacts upon return played havoc with team selections for Neil Lennon, who was also confined to his house and unable to be with his remaining troops at training for a spell due to pandemic rules.
Dubai will not be this season’s choice with Portugal amongst the preferred destinations for the 2022 travel and Postecoglou feels it’ll be precious in terms of giving him key time to work behind-the-scenes with his new group.
Although the Aussie had a trip to Wales in pre-season, he was still just beginning the squad build.
Over half the side that started last weekend’s clash against Dundee at Dens Park were not even at the club at that time with sub Giorgos Giakoumakis and Carl Starfelt, who missed out on Tayside through injury, also yet to join.
One by one the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota and Joe Hart were been pitched into the team once the competitive action got underway.
But, due to a heavy fixture list and the disappearance of large numbers during the international breaks, Postecoglou has barely had a full week of detailed training with the current squad since his arrival.
The manager is eyeing this season’s trip for intensive work as he said: “We are planning for that now and we will certainly have some sort of camp.
“It will give the boys a bit of a break. We just assembled this group of people together without really being able to settle them and create a real settled culture and environment with the football we want to play.
“A week’s training will be like gold for us and we will certainly use that time, but there is a lot of football to be played before then.”
Given the issues surrounding the frantic nature of his first Celtic transfer and the huge rebuild that was required, Postecogclou appears intent on a calmer and a simpler-planned second.
Ideally, managers want winter captures on board quickly to have them join up with the rest of their team-mates for training camps and also to be ready for the resumption of the campaign which comes well over a week before the January window closes.
Postecoglou’s plotting is already underway with targets being identified and discussed and wheels being set in motion for potential deals.
After the huge success of attacker Furuhashi, who has 13 goals already since signing from Vissel Kobe, more names have emerged from the J-League.
Prolific striker Daizen Maeda has been noted after a magnificent spell at the manager’s former club Yokohama Marinos.
Versatlie defensive-midfield player Reo Hatate is another who is being linked with a switch to join Furuhashi in Glasgow from Kawasaki Frontale.
Postecoglou, of course, won’t go into specifics details or names, but has revealed behind-the-scenes assessments are underway as he said: “There will be plenty of names before January. We are working towards then and we know what we need.
“We want to make sure we are well organised long before then, so we are going to identify targets and we will be talking to quite a few.
“But we are not negotiating or got close to signing anyone at the moment.
“There will be plenty of people putting their name forward because I think this is an attractive destination at the moment.
“We are just focused on being organised in January.”
However, as Postecoglou mentioned, there is still a lot for the current Celtic group to negotiate before they reach the shutdown with another critical club period looming.
Having successfully made it through the period between the October and November international gatherings with six wins out of seven at home and in Europe, Postecoglou and his teams are approaching another key period through to the turn of the year.
Celtic have nine potential outings in the Premiership which ends with a home clash against title rivals Rangers immediately prior to the shutdown.
In the Europa League, games against Bayer Leverkusen and Real Betis will be decisive in their bid to progress to the next stage of that competition.
Celtic return from this international stoppage time with a trip to Hampden to face St Johnstone in the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup.
Postecoglou isn’t stopping during the current club-game absence with his international stars departed and said: “Obviously, we want the boys to do well, the ones that go away. They have some big games and we are wishing them well.
“Hopefully, they get through unscathed. We have some here who will be at Lennoxtown, some need a break who have played quite a lot of football.
“Others we need to put some work into, so it’s an important period for us and there is a massive game when we get back, so we want to be ready for it.”
