The Huddle Breakdown Newsletter

In this episode of Extra Time, the Huddle Breakdown team is joined by special guest Quinny from Scottish Football Daily to dissect a critical turning point in Celtic's season. The guys share their honest reactions to the Shelbourne friendly, questioning the tactical innovations and player performances on display.

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In this episode of The Huddle Breakdown, James and Alan break down Celtic's potential signing, Colombian forward Camilo Duran from Qarabag. Utilizing advanced data scouting, they examine Duran’s hybrid positional role, left-footed versatility, and transitional pace—questioning whether he serves as a Liel Abada analog or a long-term Daizen Maeda replacement.

It is that time again - a summer window filled with signings and the accompanying benchmarking analysis! I fear the squad rebuild may cause me to develop carpal tunnel, but we push on…with a quick reminder on the goal and intent for this exercise laid out here. Camilo Duran is the first victim for the 2026-2027 season, so let us dive right in: For the first 3 graphics, I included Duran’s teammate a 2nd striker for Qarabag during the 2025-2026 season.

As Celtic continue to meander through the byways and side streets of transfer business, the only confirmed “new signing” has been the extension for a year accepted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Englishman, no doubt fresh from staying up until past 4am to watch his country defeat Mexico in a World Cup classic, was a fine player but it was over two World Cups ago he won the last of his 35 England caps – in 2019.

In this episode of The Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, hosts Martin Murphy, James, and Alan dive into the busy summer landscape. The team breaks down what the appointment of new set piece coach and analyst Ross Grant means for Celtic's physical profile, style of play, and tactical future. They analyze the latest SPFL transfer rumors—including high praise and analytical packing data backing a potential move for Motherwell standout Elijah Just.

In this episode of the Huddle Breakdown, we dissect Celtic's major coaching hire as Ross Grant joins the club as a dedicated set-piece specialist. We dive into the underlying data, analytical xG metrics, and what Grant's tactical history means for the Hoops' defensive structure and attacking variation.

Celtic are going to pieces…err…well they have hired a set piece coach! Ross Grant, most recently the first dedicated set piece coach in the SPFL Premiership when hired at Hearts last June, was formerly announced by Celtic this week. Ross joins the Premiership Champions from Heart of Midlothian, where he was a hugely important part of their coaching team last season.

Celtic and Martin O’Neill finally agreed a one-year contract with, and this could be crucial, the option for another year. Ultimately both parties need to agree to trigger it, as O’Neill characteristically joked to The Herald. Five managers at the current World Cup are 70 years old or more – pop quiz, can you name them without Googling? 70 may be the new 50 in terms of managerial longevity at the top level.

In this episode of Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, host Martin Murphy is joined by James and Alan to break down the latest Celtic transfer rumors and boardroom developments amidst a quiet summer window. The team analyzes the potential appointments of Fotheringham and Maloney to Martin O'Neill's backroom staff, the ongoing contract negotiations surrounding Marcelo Saracchi, and the future of Daizen Maeda.