Alexandro Bernabei (24) joined Brazilian side Internacional yesterday for a fee in the region of £4m, providing a small profit on the fee we paid Lanus for him 2.5 years ago, although there a sell-on clause is likely to consume that.
Not every player will work out at Celtic, but ensuring those who do not make the cut leave at a fee consistent with what we paid for them is a critical part of squad management. The Americas have been good to us in this respect, with Giorgos Giakoumakis and Patryk Klimala both heading over the Atlantic for a higher ticket price then they arrived with. Giorgos only spent a year at Atlanta before the MLS side doubled their money when the striker went to Mexico.
There is a fair chance we will bring in a left back with a different profile from Alex this month. If so, the returning son will be celebrated as befits the best left back we have seen in 50 years. There are, however, strategic worries.
Signing players at their peak, when their value has already topped out, is a short-term play. It all you are interested in is this season, or next, you will be happy with this route. You and I are here for the long haul, though. We know how hard Celtic need to work to compete in the Champions League every year and what we need to do to stay ahead in Scotland.
I want to see a Celtic team full of Nicolas Kuhn and Arne Engels-types. Players we have worked hard to find and can bring to Scotland before their profile has reached critical levels. We will not keep many of them for long, but that will only make it easier to attract the best talent next time.
We have talked about Brighton owner and savant Tony Bloom a few times. On Sunday, Brighton won away at Manchester United for the third season running. They had three different managers for those wins and (including subs) used 33 different players.
Brighton are ruthlessly dedicated to plan. Bloom sets the strategy and the managers accept it or move on. Abundant transfer profits are ploughed into ever-improving scouting, higher wages and transfer budget. By contrast, we have a more short-term outlook. It will deliver domistically, for a while, anyway. Others will make more progress.
219 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- »
that should be I came first time in 1968 and returned a year later
TONTINE TIM and others re: Trump/Musk
As soon as Musk did his fascist salute I turned to my good lady and said watch this get normalised over the next few days. It did today and he has managed it. They can now do that salute in public again and we all know what they are saying. That said, turns out it was my dog that I turned to and not my wife but he listened. I may talk to him again in the future.
I watched it all yesterday, I had to. Well, most of it. Repotted some plants, bought a space heater. Installed new rack in the shower and had a load of laundry fail due to frozen pipes. Oh yeah, had Indian takeaway. Mon the immigrants and mixed races on LMK day!
Can’t believe I have to wear Trish’s knickers again tomorrow.
Watched a-gasp as some slack jawed yokels and people of all races, colour and creed say their wee Trump love piece, some astounding sound bites.
The faces of people that travelled and suffered sub zero temperatures to sing his name.
Not realising the irony of them treating him like their king, or indeed Saviour.
Follow your leader.
As mentioned earlier, we’ve witnessed a rise in fascists as most just whistle and walk along. We did always wonder how the 30’s played out. Sit back but don’t put your feet up. We’ll need them on the ground.
TURKEYBHOY @ 10:21 PM,
Well, yes, was Zargreb two points dropped or one gained!?
That’s one for Thursday I think…
The interesting thing about that game for me was the respect we were shown in Croatia, they were playing for a draw when they needed a win, as BSR says, we have come along way when that’s the case.
No doubts though we were not at our best and if we were we would have won that match.
Hail Hail
TT
As usual, a font of knowledge.
Cap doffed, sir.
TT
Who was second?
😊
What happens with the final round of Champions League fixtures ?
Do they all get played on the same night with everyone kicking off at the same time ?
Nearly match day. Come on the Celtic!!!!
Malvinas
Yep .
itscalledthemalvinas
Yes. Full fixtures can be seen on the BBC website.
BRRB
Yeah all the games on the 29th have an 8pm Celtic Park kick off time
Sorry above for itscalledthemalvinas
Reading all of the stats regarding our potential fate in Europe- reminds me of the ‘calculators at dawn’ scenarios Scotland fans conjured up as our chances diminished.
Forget the permutations- win, win and win, that puts the calculator in the bin.
HH
JRS
Whirurrthihunsdaenbhoy ragin it has to post bout Celtic.
:-)
HH
The negatrons already written their post match posts for tomorrow…..
There’s a huge Portuguese diaspora in the GTHA, Greater Toronto Hamilton Area, mainly from the Azores, so I’m wondering what Eagles Quick News is like the night
SPIKEYSAULDMAN on 21ST JANUARY 2025 8:38 PM
GreenPinata
just chain yer bike to the fence at the ticket office
I cycle over when i’m late and cant be 4rsed with the motor.
——————————————
Can I watch yer bike Mister ?
lol
I had a play with the UEFA results predictor after tonight’s results and concluded the following (based on my many assumed future outcomes)…
Assuming The Super Bhoys beat the Young Boys tomorrow, then I believe they will have qualified for the play-off round already. The outstanding issue then is whether they make the top 8 seeds for the play-off round.
A win at Villa Park would most likely secure a seeded spot, with possible opponents from (based on my assumed results in the predictor):
Aston Villa, Monaco, Man City, PSV, PSG, Bruges, Benfica, Stuttgart
Else Celtic would be in the unseeded pot and could face any of:
Aston Villa, Lille, Dortmund, Juventus, Real Madrid, Atalanta, Sporting Lisbon, Brest
I don’t know if teams that met in the group stage are kept apart in the next round(s), but if not, we could finish our group matches against Villa then play them twice more in the play-off round whichever half of that draw we find ourselves in.
Thanks for the replies.
HH
BigChipsUK
Both sides of the seeded/unseeded draw look horrific….
clunks, even if we’re unseeded I reckon we can beat Lille, Sporting and Brest, IF we’re on our A game home and away and desist from scoring for the opposition!
In the other half I’d say our chances were at least 50:50 against all bar Villa, Man City and PSG. So there’s a real incentive to get one over on the EPL again (remember Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool in 2002-3?).
BigChipsUK
Either draw is a toughie mate
Win tomoz (and another battle of Britain) and let the draw take care of itself
Aipple on 21st January 2025 11:14 pm
TONTINE TIM and others re: Trump/Musk
As soon as Musk did his fascist salute I turned to my good lady and said watch this get normalised over the next few days. It did today and he has managed it. They can now do that salute in public again and we all know what they are saying.
———
Here in Oz, news media are describing it as an ‘awkward’ salute.
Here. I’ll fix it for them: It was an accepted fascist salute from an awkward gazillionaire.
Meanwhile, anyone doing that stuff in public here in Oz gets lifted and charged for inciting hate.
Not to say that our politicians will chide or rebuke Musk for the semiology of it all, nor for calling our Gov fascists for trying to institute a social media ban for companies (like his) for promulgating misinformation.
Hell-in-a-handbarra-stuff, this oligarchy-malarkey.
gotta say that I would rather have trump than starmer in charge of the uk….
Aipple – very funny story – having met you both (but not the dog) , makes it funnier.
As for the darker side – it is sad but no different than other places (Brexit anyone?) – Churchill said the best argument against democracy is a ten minute conversation with the average voter – true dat.
As for Musk – I seriously think it was a dweeb’s attempt at doing the “dab” (no I didn’t either – google it) or a Nixon two fingered salute. He’s a Fud but I doubt he was trying to do something that stupid.
Anyhoo…..game day ra’morra. 3 points please!
clunks
Trump, Musk, Putin, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping, Ali Khamenei, Netanyahu, Starmer, Sunak, Johnson, Rees-Mogg…
Give them all a blue shirt emblazoned with “Follow follow” and you have the real dream (?!) team!!!
TEXAS
Obv I dunno nothing for sure but…
An attention-seeking egomaniac like Musk would know he’s been widely dubbed as a fascist.
So to believe he’s totally unaware of how that action would be interpreted is a bit rich.
Also, he did it twice.
Or mibby he’s a huge Usain Bolt fan and it was a double tribute to the great sprinter.
DOBBERNOTDABBER
BigChipsUK
You forgot thatcher???
Quad – dabber and dobber, I reckon.
We’re all stuck with this stuff until it unwinds.
Could take a while.
TEXASTIM; aye, four years of narcissistic decision-making in a polarised country and a well-fractured world.
What could possibly go wrong at home and abroad?
Here’s hoping we horse the Young Boys anyhooz.
Clunks, I did ask her but she said no, and she wouldn’t be turned… which would have made her good for central defence!
Had my annual doc check up. I actually do it every 6 months these days. All is well if I can cut out the booze, ciggies and stress. So a I am quiting my job, ciggies and taking to the bars like BRRB.
I wish.
My good lady will tell you TexasTim that I have been saying for a long time that X guy is for the watching.
QUADROPHENIAN re: everything
But you got a big battery.Be happy.
Bhoys – dab, dob, fud.
Stuck with them all for a while.
Scunnered but capable of moving on – it’s cathartic and essential.
Good morning CQN
Game day
Bring it on
C’mon Celtic three points and a lot to look forward to. I’m watching at home tonight which I don’t enjoy but needs must.
Good morning all.
I’m not going along with the points dropped in Zagreb possibly coming back to haunt us.
If we fail tonight, at home against YB, then that and that alone is what will cost us. No need to look elsewhere.