TOOLING UP.

Definition: To provide someone or something with the tools or equipment needed for making something.

That certainly appears to be the case when it comes to Celtic. Ange and the board are certainly tooling up.

Tooling up for a title tilt. Tooling up for the Champions League. Tooling up for the Champions League qualifiers.

They are well aware of the significance of the £40 million golden ticket that comes with being crowned champions and subsequent automatic entry to the group stages of the Champions League.

Ange is now in the throes of the second phase of the building of his beautiful house.

A January spending spree is not the usual way in which Celtic conduct their business. In fact, in years gone past the club have too often been found wanting when it comes to the January transfer market.

This time around there has been a radical departure from the norm. 

READ MORE: Inside the Ange Postecoglou and Michael Nicholson relationship driving Celtic transfer window success

Three Japanese arrivals in the shape of Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi joined talismanic striker Kyogo on Hogmanay as 2022 off to a flyer for the Celtic supporters.

Johnny Kenny has since arrived from Sligo Rovers and to all intents and purposes, Australian midfielder Riley McGree will be the next player to breeze through the Paradise glass doors.

Celtic have agreed on a transfer fee in the region of £3 million with Charlotte FC.

McGree has proved himself in England with some sterling performances for Birmingham City on loan. He was one of the Championship club’s best players and Blues fans were heartbroken to see him leave the club.

Now McGree looks set to join his former national team manager at Celtic. It's not so much the Lynx effect as the Ange effect.

It's fair to say Ange and CEO Michael Nicholson are definitely on amicable speaking terms.

If the Aussie wasn't forceful enough about bringing in new recruits back in the summer then he has clearly made his point barely six months down the line.

Add into the mix that the club is also in advanced talks to sign both Portuguese winger Jota and on-loan Tottenham defender Cameron Carter-Vickers on permanent deals at a combined price of £12.5 million then someone at Celtic means business. That someone is Nicholson.

The silent partner is concluding the deals and signing the cheques at the manager's behest. It's a win-win scenario for Celtic.

Leave the clubs finances to Nicholson.

Leave the football side of the department to the football manager.

The Celtic supporters would be absolutely delighted to hear nothing from their CEO until he was thrust in front of the media to discuss the latest financial figures or he was duty-bound to appear in person at the AGM.

That's the way big football clubs are run, isn't it? Told you it was radical. Go figure!

Despite there being no football to consume at this moment in time there is no negativity emanating from Paradise. It's all positivity.

The talk is also on a subject that is dearest to Ange's heart - football, football and football.

Since the summer there has been the most wonderful reconnect from the manager and players to the supporters.

To even be praising Celtic just days into the New Year is unprecedented.

The supporters have long memories especially when it comes to transfer windows.

There is a who's who of famous players' names that trip off the tongue who should have signed for Celtic but didn't due to outside influences or external forces.

Fans might want to look away now. The likes of Steven Fletcher, John McGinn and Ivan Toney still cause fans eyes to twitch and the bodies of the faithful to shake uncontrollably a la Herbert Lom in the Pink Panther films to this day.

All because of bungled transfer windows. Not this time though.

There is a feel-good factor surrounding Celtic at this minute. They already have the League Cup tucked in the trophy cabinet. They are still fighting on three fronts - Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and the Europa Conference League.

READ MORE: Celtic history lesson suggests they can win the Europa Conference League - Tony Haggerty

Whisper it quietly but Ange will probably fancy his chances of lifting all three.

The Aussie has an unswerving belief in his own ability. Ange was born to manage a big European football club. Celtic was his calling...perhaps his destiny. He knows what he can achieve as a football manager at a club like this.

Ange may have been a hard sell to everybody back in June. Evidently, the players, backroom staff and most importantly of all the supporters have all bought into it. The board are now buying what the manager is selling.

Well, actually the Celtic hierarchy is now buying players who the manager recommends will be the ideal fit for his system. There is no doubting that the hand of Ange has been all over the recruitment of the Japanese trio as well as compatriot Riley McGree.

A&M (Ange & Michael) are tooling up to inflict GBH on Rangers title hopes come the second part of the campaign. New Years Resolutions and all that.

January is shaping up to be Celtic's equivalent of a detox. A Veganuary except it feels more like Angeuary. Celtic may not be the A-Team just yet but they are making a real statement of intent this month.

You get the feeling that deep in the bowels of Paradise both Ange and Michael are rubbing their hands in anticipation and uttering those immortal words in a John "Hannibal" Smith style: "I love it when a plan comes together."

The men from Glasgow's East End could well be on the cusp of something special under Ange. Celtic are tooling up all right.