AS the station clock struck 2300 hours on Monday evening, the transfer whistle was sounded and the train came to a halt. You will not be shocked to know that Celtic were left frantically doing business right up to – and even after – the deadline passed.

January was the most important window for Celtic for as long as I can remember. Usually, the winter window is one which sees clubs employ the services of one or two outcasts or journeymen who are looking to reignite their careers, but this year the league and cup are at stake along with a potentially lucrative place in the Europa knock-out stage. 

Celtic have for some years often found themselves in a situation where the league is on the back-burner and the games remaining by the midway point of a season merely ceremonial occasions on the way to the eventual coronation in May.

But this is not one of those seasons. Celtic are stuck in a three-way dogfight, with no guarantee they'll get second, never mind first, and a solid window was a must. It didn't happen. Again. Although the club outdid themselves by spending the grand total of – absolutely nothing.

The importance of the January window was intensified after Wilfried Nancy – yes remember him? – was relieved of his duties after dropping a shedload of points. And we waited for Martin O'Neill to return once again in the hope that the status and gravitas he holds within the confines of Parkhead would command the necessary signings to bolster this threadbare Celtic squad. How wrong we were. Again.

Anyway, rather than bore you all with a long-winded re-run of the usual issues, here's a list of the pros and cons of this year's window. Let's start with the pros, as despite the lack of business, a sliver of optimism can be seen.

PROS 

Junior Adamu

For those who aren't avidly invested in the main European leagues, or those who don't spend their spare time as I do as a football manager on a video game trying to make Celtic a European powerhouse once more, then I have some good news for you regarding the acquisition of the Freiburg winger. 

Adamu was one of the hottest recent properties to emerge from the famous Red Bull Salzburg Academy, scoring 17 goals in 58 appearances for the Austrian outfit. Soon after, the versatile youngster made the move to Freiburg in Germany, where his career stalled at a club struggling for consistency and goals.

But his attributes remain and this could be a match made it heaven – a pacy forward who loves a comforting arm around his shoulder to boost the confidence. That's right down Martin O'Neill's street as a manager. 

Getting a former European wonderkid who needs some encouragement on loan with a permanent signing option of under £5m could be a shrewd move by the Hoops.

Addressing necessary areas

The final third, a much-needed area of improvement, saw the biggest additions, with three forwards added to the ranks of Celtic's offensive threat, one of whom, Tomáš Čvančara, has already made his mark with a splendid headed goal and a thrilling assist in his first two games.

Right-sided Lorient winger/attacking midfielder Joel Mvuka and the youngster Adamu were the two other additions to the attacking cohort and only time will tell whether they are Celtic-quality or not.

The defensive frailties were also addressed in the form of Julian Araujo, who arrived earlier in the window and has been a stand-out at full back for the Hoops since he made his debut. The addition of highly-touted Brentford central defender Benjamin Arthur allowed Celtic to send Stephen Welsh back to Motherwell while adding to an area which has been depleted like no other with Cameron Carter-Vickers out for the season. Can 20-year-old Arthur be expected to come in and stand up to aerial bombardments on icy Wednesday nights on poor pitches? We'll see.

Low-risk 

Celtic fans understandably want marquee signings, but what they've got instead are  low-risk or even risk-free acquisitions. In financial terms, the Celtic board will be delighted that they have managed to close five transfers without departing with a single penny from their big mountain of gold. It's so Celtic.

Some fans will be happy that Čvančara, Adamu and Mvuka can all be bought in June if they do the business, and that gives the players a real incentive to prove their value as a Celtic player.

Now, enough positivity. Let's look at another retelling of the same old story.

CONS

Lack of ambition

Something which has become seriously apparent in recent months is the lack of ambition among the Celtic suits. 

Celtic not parting company with a single penny is a depressing figure, but it's something which the money men at Parkhead will be celebrating as if it were a cup final Henrik Larsson hat-trick.

Their transfer strategy is one that is so painfully obvious – identifying the out of favour, the disillusioned, the unwanted and the unhappy of the mid-level European football scene and hoping to god they can do a job. 

Gone are the days where the club would use state of the art scouting methods to identify an unknown quantity in a lesser league and watch them thrive in Scotland. No, not Celtic, we want the scraps, they'll do!

Last minute.com

The biggest and most infuriating problem with Celtic's transfer activity is the clear lack of planning which goes into the window. The final day saw three players walk in the door, and the biggest news on deadline day was the fact that Celtic rejected three bids for Arne Engels, with the final one from Nottingham Forest said to be in and around the £25 million mark.

That fee would double that paid for the Belgium international by Celtic 18 months ago and while the board will no doubt point to keeping Engels as a sign of positive intent, the truth is rather more grim. They'd love to have taken the money, but they were simply unable to find anybody to fill a potential Engels-shaped hole in an already thin midfield for the money they were willing to pay.

Despite multiple links to midfielders all month long, Celtic refused to make it a priority. And while other areas required more attention, the failure to bolster the midfield is still unforgivable. I was surprised that Forest were willing to go that high for a player who hasn't exactly set the heather on fire in Scotland, but he is a key part of the Celtic engine room and there's relief that the board didn't take the money and make do.

Whatever happens, let's hope this window is not one filled with regret but can be celebrated as Celtic hopefully kick on from here to catch Hearts and even grab a little European pride.