Ronny Deila's sensible shopping is working for Celtic

However, despite his rather moderate CV, the now former Ipswich Town player is seen as something of a decent prospect south of the border.

He is fast, athletic and by all accounts has a natural football brain and a good touch.

Given that Celtic are in the market for a left-back and this is exactly the kind of player Ronny Deila likes, then it would make sense if Mings had been on their radar.

On Friday, this uncapped and inexperienced defender moved to Bournemouth, newly promoted to the Premier League, for a fee of, wait for it, £8million – about double what Celtic would be prepared to pay for any one player.

No offence to the lad, but that’s just ridiculous. But that's what you pay in England these days for a Championship player. It's why Watford want £4m for Ikechi Anya. That's the standard rate.

Going back to Mings, when you add on the wages and that's the best part of a £16m deal over four years. He may go on to be a star, but this is no Roberto Carlos. He might not even be an Anton Rogan.

It is little wonder Deila and Celtic have to be imaginative when it comes to their shopping.

When Bournemouth are prepared to pay twice what a team which has made the knock-out stages of the Champions League three times in the past eight years are, it tells you what Celtic are up against.

And it's not going to get any easier given the billions that continue to pour into English football.

It would be more of a worry for Deila if it were not the case that he might just be the first manager in football history to complain about having too many players. In fact, he is looking to trim the squad.

The Celtic manager will welcome back his internationalists over the next day or so and more than a few who reported back a week ago will be told to go out on loan or to leave permanently.

Size does matter for the Norwegian. Deila does not want a huge squad. Rather, he is looking to have 22 outfield players at most and anyone brought in, as he revealed last week, will either be a young player with potential or someone who would be viewed as a first-team regular.

Celtic in the past under Neil Lennon, Gordon Strachan and even Martin O'Neill towards the end of his time, signed too many who for a variety of reasons were never anything other than fringe men. They added numbers and precious little else.

It should give Celtic supporters much delight to know that Deila believes he has the core of a squad that can qualify and then hold their own in the Champions League. Dedryck Boyata has been added, Saidy Janko from Manchester United could be another, while a striker and if possible a left-sided defender of some description will arrive before the end of August.

Celtic are in a good place. They did their shopping early and that should give them an outstanding chance to get through the qualifying rounds and into the group stages.

But they are still short, no matter what Deila says. They need another goalscorer, someone who can play through the middle. They tend to be more expensive than even the most over-priced of left-backs.

But the most important thing right now is that this is Deila's team. Unlike a year ago.

This is the week when Celtic's season really begins. They face Den Bosch on Wednesday night at St Mirren Park, a first chance to see how everyone is fixed and then it's Dukla Prague, Real Sociedad and after that, in a little over two weeks' time, it starts for real when FC Stjarnan come to Glasgow.

Celtic have to reach the group stage this season. They should win the league, although Aberdeen might give them a bit of a challenge, so Deila especially needs a good showing in Europe. Harsh, perhaps, but that's the reality of his rather unique situation.

He said last week that those in his job are judged every day. Yes and no. Of course, being Celtic manager is 24/7, but winning five in a row and having a decent crack at Europe would be seen as progress. Just winning the championship, not so much.

Deila is an intelligent man and will know this.

This is why he is not interested in signing five or six players. He trusts his key players and they have bought into what he's about.

Celtic should not have to play three qualifying rounds, but that's the cards they have been dealt.

It is also unfair, for lack of a better word, that a team that regularly competes in the Champions League are outspent by Bournemouth.

However, the squad are in a good place and are well set up to make their mark in Europe's elite competition, and the supporters can afford to looked ahead to these qualifying games with a great deal of confidence.

If Deila can take Celtic to the promised land on a budget smaller than most English second tier clubs, trim down his squad and introduce a couple of young players over the course of the season, then he will deserve all the credit in the world.

It's going to be interesting.

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here