Avoiding bad Fortune
I read our treble-winning captain, Tom Boyd, in the Herald advising Celtic to retain players who want away or decline to sign new contracts, until after their Champions League qualification ties, an idea we discussed some time ago. Tellingly he added, “They will see when they go down south it’s not always as bright down there as they think it will be”, perhaps a reference to his time in the Chelsea defence.
There is unlikely to be much difference in value achieved between selling before or after the qualifiers, so as long as the players stay on-side with Neil Lennon and the club, there will be no reason to sell before then.
Recruiting is a different matter. Celtic will want players in as soon as possible but with all in-demand talent, selling clubs have little reason to cash-in before the business end of August. For me, there are some on the list we are currently linked with (I’m trying to avoid stepping onto the speculation train as long as possible) who I’ll be happy to see sign elsewhere. Half the battle in transfer windows is to avoid the bad Fortune of splurging money on players who don’t work out.
Willie Wallace’s autobiography, Heart of a Lion, is now back in stock, order your copy below:
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