Where are they now? The 10 first-teamers let go by Celtic in 2015
Celtic let go of 10 first-team players in the summer of 2015 – including two who went on to achieve cult status in the English Premier League.
The Scottish champions signed the likes of Jozo Simunovic, Ryan Christie and Dedryck Boyata in that transfer window en route to retaining their league title.
But we’re more interested in the players Celtic sold in 2015 and what has become of them since:
Joe Chalmers
Despite showing promise, multiple injury problems prevented Chalmers from making his mark at Celtic and the left-sided player joined Motherwell on a two-year contract.
Now in his early 30s, Chalmers has spent his entire career in Scotland with Inverness CT, Ross County and Ayr United before arriving at his current club, Dunfermline, in 2022.
Lukasz Zaluska
Zaluska spent six years at Parkhead as back-up for Fraser Forster and Craig Gordon, but still managed to make 28 appearances for Celtic.
The goalkeeper spent a season at German club Darmstadt 98 before returning to his native Poland until he retired in 2020.
Teemu Pukki
The sale of Pukki to Brondby in 2015, which had already been arranged a year previously, was a staggering oversight by Celtic.
Although the striker wasn’t prolific in Scotland, he went on to score 88 goals for Norwich between 2018 and 2023.
Now in his late 30s, Pukki is back in Finland with HJK Helsinki and scored a brace in a 4-0 win over former club KTP in February 2025.
John Herron
Herron has enjoyed an eclectic career since leaving Celtic in 2015, playing for clubs in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Australia and Gibraltar.
Now 31, the midfielder is turning out for Ballymena United in the Irish Football League.
Holmbert Friojonsson
Friojonsson cost Celtic £100,000 in 2013, but the Icelandic striker made little impression and zero appearances in his one-and-a-half years at the club.
His most productive spell since came at Norweigan club Aalesund, where Friojonsson scored 36 times in 67 appearances.
The striker, who has two goals in six appearances for the Iceland national team, now plays in Germany for Preußen Munster.
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Adam Matthews
Part of the team that famously beat Barcelona in 2012, Matthews is currently playing in Ireland for Shamrock Rovers.
He spent some time at Sunderland, Bristol City, Charlton and Omonia before moving to Dublin at the start of 2025.
Rovers’ sporting director Stephen McPhail had been Matthews’ teammate at Cardiff City, which played a part in Rovers manager Stephen Bradley’s decision to sign him.
“[Matthews] will bring really valuable experience and his ability on the pitch speaks for itself,” Bradley said, “He’s one we think can help the group go to another level.”
Amido Balde
Balde turned out to be another spectacular waste of money after he signed for £1.2million from Portuguese outfit Vitoria Guimaraes in June 2013.
The towering striker came highly recommended to Neil Lennon, but scored just three goals in 20 blundering appearances for Celtic.
In the nine years since getting the boot from Parkhead, Balde has played for 12 different teams across the globe, but is currently without a club.
He is still one of Celtic’s most baffling signings.
Jackson Irvine
Still donning one of the best barnets in football, these days you can find Irvine playing for St. Pauli in the Bundesliga.
After making just one senior appearance for Celtic, Irvine seems to be enjoying life in Germany too as he told Closed: “I came to Hamburg after more than 10 years of playing football in Scotland and England.
“I loved my time there, it was the place that gave me the opportunity to have a career in professional football.
“However, I yearned for something different, a complete change in lifestyle and footballing environment.
“It only took one phone call with St. Pauli to know that it was the place I wanted to be.”
Dylan McGeouch
A childhood Celtic supporter, McGeouch spent time at both Old Firm academies before coming through the ranks at Parkhead in the early 2010s.
After scoring twice in 27 senior appearances, the midfielder was sold to Hibernian after a successful loan spell in Edinburgh.
He’s spent time at Sunderland, Aberdeen and Forest Green Rovers before moving to his current club Carlisle United in 2023.
McGeouch also won two caps for Scotland in 2018.
Virgil van Dijk
Who?