Celtic made the first significant spend of the Ange Postecoglou and Dom McKay era yesterday by splashing £3.5m on Israeli winger, Liel Abada. The 19-year-old has made 48 career starts and 19 substitute appearances in senior football, all for Maccabi Petah Tikva.
After Liam Shaw (20) and Osaze Urhoghide (21 this month) joined from Sheffield Wednesday for training compensation fees, Abada’s signing is further indication that Celtic are intent on developing a team, rather than attempting to buy finished articles (like the definitely finished Shane Duffy). Two years from now, we should see the benefits of this approach, but as you know, there is a lot of football to be played before then.
What can you tell about a player who has played as few games as Liel, all of them in Israel? Israeli football is not a backwater, it is strong enough to test a teenage talent but the volume written about 48 starts will be a short book. With added travel restrictions, we can be sure he has not been watched often.
We are in familiar territory in signing players after so few appearances. Virgil van Dijk made 63 starts before signing for Celtic. Since then, the window before players with speculative potential reach eye-watering prices has shrunk. If we left Liel another year, we may find his progressed stalled, or that he has moved out our price range. We are going to kiss a lot of frogs when shopping in this sector, which is OK.
I had hoped Leigh Griffiths would remain at Celtic this season and was pleased when he signed a new one-year deal earlier this month – what feels like a long time ago. For me, yesterday’s news that he will not face criminal proceedings does not restore his position as a Celtic player. Better for all that he finds a new club as soon as possible.
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Good money for Ajer in this market. On its own it represents good business, but…
1. It’s another player down for ECL. The club are broadcasting that there is no ambition to progress there.
2. Will it be reinvested in the team or added to Frimpong, Klimala, Hendry, Bayo and El Hamed monies to shore up the PLC’s bottom line?
You know the answer.
what happened to AC Milan , or did they watch you tube .
We’re certainly good at *selling* players.
.
RC – They signed Fikayo Tomori from Chelsea for 26m instead.
Ayer £13.5m + £1.5m add ons
The man that smashed his penalty for the quadruple treble.
Should have said first team established CB next signing.
All of a sudden the rules apply
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57819557
Is the ajer transfer official
Honestly couldnt care about the money..its just another player sold and our squad weakened..joke
Ffs dont even know if he is sold..but if he is..see above
The great 2021 CB merry go round.
Lots of names to track regarding our ability to manage a squad.
MV — the project that got away.
CS — the star that hopefully doesn’t.
KA — the captain we should have kept.
FT — the £26mill man / the AC data point.
Literally downsizing in front of our eyes.
2 Things from reading today .D DESMOND does not own CELTIC he is the major share holder.
Nobody except the young girl and LEE G and now the police know exactly what was said .No jump on the wagon merchant knows the true story so please please give up with the holier than though condemnations.
Nightshift
Drew
1 year on his contract and wants to leave
From the last blog:
SQUIRE DANAHER on 15TH JULY 2021 10:12 AM
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY on 15TH JULY 2021 10:03 AM
I didn’t see the game.
A very interesting post m8, a good read.
………….
Thank you.
Is Bolingoli at the training camp?
On Ajer, I think it is good business. We can’t guarantee we would get £20m at the end of the window.
I think that price for Ajer and the price paid for Frimpong is ‘big league’ project spending. They would pay 25-35m for a dead cert starter.
Brentford know that he may not work out but he fits their profile. Look at what they have in their squad.
Wouldn’t be surprised if they fork out 30m on another CH before the end of Aug
PS
went to the Brentford v Celtic game a few years back. Old fashioned wee ground in an older estate, bit like QPR or the old Killie set up.
Nice pubs around there.
We didn’t half leave the streets in some mess; wading through pish, cans and bottles in the streets outside folks’ houses. Hadn’t seen that kind of thing for a long time (plus the pitch invasion, flares and RA songs). Only thing missing from the 70s was the long hair, flares and moustaches😎
Celtic look set to leapfrog Rangers in the race to sign Peterborough winger Siriki Dembele this summer.
The pacy 24-year-old winger has been linked with both sides of the Old Firm for several months, but the Peterborough Telegraph reports that the Hoops are now thought to be his preferred destination as he seeks the opportunity to play alongside younger brother Karamoko.
Dembele’s Posh contract was set to expire this summer but the Championship new boys exorcised their option to extend the deal, after Dembele’s impressive return of 13 goals in all competitions throughout their run to promotion from England’s League One last season.
Despite hailing from the Ivory Coast, Dembele grew up in Scotland, and previously represented Dundee United and Ayr United at youth level, before heading south to initially sign for Grimsby Town in 2017.
If he does indeed move to Parkhead, Dembele will join fellow winger Liel Abada following the Israeli international’s £3.5million move from Maccabi Petah Tikva yesterday, with centre-back Carl Starfelt also close to joining Ange Postecoglou’s side.
We’ve had mention of kissing frogs here.
Maybe it’s time to discuss boiling frogs.
Have a look at out 5-1 victory at ibrox, end of April 2017.
We have been in a slow descent for a few years now.
Many posters seem to believe this is nothing more than than a pleasant jacuzzi
GENE on 15TH JULY 2021 4:33 PM
All of a sudden the rules apply
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57819557
——
Imperfectly registered?
MAJESTIC HARTSON @ 3:49 PM,
You make a very good point, the old late developer is a rare breed and getting rarer.
The Jamie Vardy type success story will always pop up from time to time I guess but for the modern professional is not only about ability and athleticism, it is about deep knowledge of one’s craft and match fitness at the appropriate level.
Many game time hours honing technique, fitness and knowledge of your position is crucial. It seems nothing can replace the game time experience at the appropriate level for a modern player.
If we are buying 19, 20 or 21 y. o. I certainly have no problem with that, however if they’re not going to get a large amount of first team games then they can never develop the match sharpness that seems to be essential in the modern game.
Loaning out is of course an option but unless the player is going to get enough games at the appropriate level it’s a waste of time. The top Clubs now stipulate that before they loan a player – a Starlet on loan from say Chelsea will be playing first team football or will be brought back.
Unless a Hibs, Aberdeen, Cardiff or Bournemouth are willing to take these players and guarantee a fair percentage of first team games then loaning out is futile.
What that means in practice is that when we sign players in this age group, they must be ready to play a part in and around our first team or be able to walk into Aberdeen’s first team.
Frog kissing is for U18s only.
So is that where we are? Mibees but I’ve got to say it looks like the same old failed moneyball gambling – which considering that we didn’t get a DoF and Dom and Ange have little knowledge or experience in the requisite recruitment markets seems highly likely.
It will be a while before the two can assess coaches, scouts, sports analytics and sports science specialists – make the necessary changes and get in the much needed expertise.
As things stand it looks like we are relying on Anges motivational and tactical skills to be way better than the last guy and the appetite, confidence and latent skill set of our young bhoys be much higher than we knew.
In other words we are on a wing and a prayer.
Hail Hail
is Siriki not KARAMOKOS BIG BROTHER ?
Coneybhoy
They moved from Griffin park a year or so ago
You dont have to look very far back to see how well it can work – Frimpong was 2 months short of his 19th birthday when we signed him, played him and then sold him for a huge profit in the space of 18 months.
That was only 6 months ago
Gene,
thanks, it did look a bit tired. No doubt luxury flats now
Gene
Ye understand that but were as we look to sell for top dollar we also buy for bottom dollar. .even tho he has his faults big Kris is one of our better players.pissed off with all this at the moment tbh.
HH brother
DAVID66 and Big Jimmy
See yous tmrw for a few.its my lads 20th birthday tmrw so need to catch up with him at some point but a few afternoon sherbets would be nice.
HH
Drew
Our recruitment has left a lot to be desired not helped by the Eddie H fiasco.
All players at all clubs are for sale at the right price – which begs the question why can’t newclub get rid of more or less
If we sell Ajer for c£13m & Eddy for c£15….. we will not going out looking for £13m & £15m replacements. Perhaps the Shane Duffy fiasco has permanently changed minds on ‘battle-hardened’, ‘oven-ready’ but currently ‘out of favour’ senior players.
This season will be building & ‘trial & error’ – there can surely be no realistic expectation of winning anything. What will be made of that when we are out of Europe early and trailing in the league…….will it then turn to ‘trial & retribution’?
Who will be retributer & who the retributee?
Drew
You’ll be fine if you stick to sherbet – anyway enjoy the get together everyone
Its Lawwells money ball at fault , so it is.
He is still controlling transfers, we all know that.
He wont pay out , and tries to low ball every bid, thats why we didnt get John McGinn. he haggles too much.
Nearly all of his signings are with his bhoy or Dudan the man or have a city connection.
All the projects never get played and want away.
All of the projects are too small and not ready for first team football.
There in no analytics to thsi Pete just watches you tube clips while on zoom with Dermo.
All of his signings are forced to come here reluctantly.
He sells everybody too cheap, and doesnt haggle enough.
Record breaking transfers fees in and out were just to bolster his pension.
Failed bean counter delivers profits to company board for 12 years out of 17 and bags himself record bonuses.
Feckin romans,
JHB
From your own keyboard this is your scenario for next season:
The Huns start debt free with the promise of an extra 90m over the next two seasons
Buoyed by their 1iar league success the more well-heeled fans step up and cover their huge cash shortfall by fully investing in the share issue.
We get put out of Europe early, fall behind in the league and face no realistic chance of winning anything
Did I miss anything?
The Huns start debt free with the promise of an extra 90m over the next two seasons
————-
I think it was “front end loaded” and to be paid in advance of qualification,
Has anyone on here applied for any of the job roles on offer ?
WGS 1st season had no European footie (if memory serves) he spent the mid week drilling a 442 into a unit with a focus on protecting the CHs big Mick and the Heid …. If that happens this time round then we need to use the time wisely …. It will be an 18 month roller coaster in my view , we may have to suck up a few sore defeats along the way ….
Interesting and scary times in equal measure , lots of scope for endless moaning on the positive side of things
:)))
Brentford, feckin Brentford, where even is it, Brentford, ffs.
Its in the Premeier League Krissy boy.
Ok, I am driving there masel
https://twitter.com/Highland__paddy/status/1415378376488071169/photo/1