We recently discussed that clubs Celtic approach in the hope of signing one of their players would smell blood. We are a club under pressure to acquire, everyone knows it.
Mika Baur has apparently agreed terms to join Celtic. Paderborn, his club, can afford to wait until the final days of August, when they could reasonably hope to attract other bidders.
I have major concerns about breaking the wage structure to acquire a player, this sets off a cost chain reaction. But if wages are agreed, a one-off fee is not threatening. There is also the matter of how discussions happen. Are both parties in a room together? Are daily phone or video calls taking place? Or is all this done at arm’s length?
I’m sure Celtic have sold what they can do for the player’s career. Tell Paderborn a player they developed will be in the Champions League window and a likely future target for the ELP. Tell them what you can do for their future roadmap.
Getting a deal over the line this result means over paying or doing a really good job on the vendor. I suspect we’ve missed the boat on the latter and may have to do the former.
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We have a technique? Who knew?
There’s madness in our method…
I might have to retire The Battered Bunnet now
Our executive is so far out of their depth it’s unreal. The player and Martin O’Neill must be wondering what on earth is going on. We are entering a new season bereft of any momentum. We know how this plays out. One bad result and unimaginable negative fosters. Absolutely embarrassing.
Baur is on 4k a week !!!!!….I’m getting an awful smell of sht….Hogh is on 12k a week …we’ll not be going anywhere near breaking our wage structure
Indeed I’d imagine that’s why we found Baur attractive at 4k a week
TBB, from previous thread,
Kevin Clancy.
Worst type of ‘ad majora natus sum’.
Our buying technique is not to buy .
As per the January window , we have a last minute borrowing technique , mostly for things we don’t need or use .
Oh and who’s fault is it that everyone knows we’re desperate….how ridiculous is that ??
sitting here pondering, when we sell engels do we owe his last club any sell on percentage ?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cd7len4lvy9o
Looks like Dermot has been on the phone …🥴
If only we had a Lawwell.
Above comment – part jest, part serious.
The recent, ongoing, gradual reveal that Peter may not have been the devil incarnate after all is both interesting and predictable.
In the absence of his counsel, perhaps Michael Nicholson, can just follow the suggestion of this sage.
https://youtube.com/shorts/pamr4odo4V4?si=rYEaus9WLZMh7fcp
“There is also the matter of how discussions happen. Are both parties in a room together? Are daily phone or video calls taking place? Or is all this done at arm’s length?”
Maybe this type of approach could work…
“Kuhn had interest from other clubs but insists the call from Celtic and a chat with boss Brendan Rodgers made up his mind to make the move to Glasgow.
He said: “We had some really good meetings, we talked a lot and he told me what a great and big club this is although I knew about Celtic before and I also saw some games.
“He convinced me to come here and everything he told me was really nice and I had the first training session today.
“It was clear at the moment Celtic called and showed interest that I wanted to come here.
“There was some interest from other clubs but the moment I received the message I didn’t think about going somewhere else.”
Sounds like a plan….
“I’m sure Celtic have sold what they can do for the player’s career. Tell Paderborn a player they developed will be in the Champions League window and a likely future target for the ELP. Tell them what you can do for their future roadmap.”
Something of this sort maybe…
Nic Kuhn “When I was at Erzgebirge Aue for one year on loan, I said I wanted to play in the Champions League and for the national team.
“Now I’ve made a big step to a big club. [Celtic FC] So, of course, in the future, I want to play for the national team as well.”
“As for Rodgers, he said of the new arrival: “We are delighted to welcome Nicolas to Celtic. We believe he is a dynamic player who has an excellent level of quality and all the attributes to fit well into our style of play.
“He has the profile we are looking for, he has a real attacking intent, a player with great pace and ideas, the ability to create and score goals and a player with a great energy and work ethic.
“He is someone who can play wide on both sides so he brings with him that versatility for us too, and myself and the coaches here really look forward to working with him.”
Could something like that work? Maybe…
Hail Hail
Sports outlets everywhere report a huge surge in the sale of tennis balls , while fruit suppliers report a huge surge in the sale of tangerines .
Must be something to do with wimbledon or a lack of vitamin C in the country.
Fiasco at Celtic.
If we had a proper football department, which includes scouting and recruitment, we would have a list of targets, for every position.
I suspect this might make negotiating with teams a little easier.
Unfortunately, we don’t.
This is one of the reasons we end up with over priced tits like Balikwisha and Tounetki.
The only way that I can see to break this vicious circle is to have multiple targets of similar quality lined up to the point where you’re indifferent between players A, B, C or D. If the club selling player A smells blood in the water, dump them quickly and move to player B. Better still, table offers for all 4 on a first-come-first served basis.
This is probably unrealistic given our current recruitment methods, but a put-all-your-eggs-in-one-basket strategy ain’t going to work until this vicious circle is broken.
Keep talking sense P67. Not sure it will catch on. We will follow the Huns in their melt down strategy. Winning all the time is boring.
So ‘breaking the wage structure ‘ is the latest squirrel to be thrown about now,absolute nonsense, absolute amateurs running this Club
Jim Orr is on ACSOM today..
https://www.youtube.com/live/KVfSLQ8oLYk?is=SzUynvvciDIyqZhX
Jota back training at Lennoxtown
MN could well be waiting on Desmond signing off the spend. Nothing, absolutely nothing has changed.
I see that the (ahem) Celtic social media is again dancing to the SMSM tune – Celtic penny-pinching, biscuit tin etc.
All the work this blog does in explaining how complex negotiations are if you are not willing to be exploited, does not generate clicks. Repeating the calumnies of the DR, Shorty etc. however does. So let’s run the club into the ground and threaten boycotts and more disruption if the club won’t just throw money at selling clubs as quickly as possible. Kerching! for the parasites.
Vale Bhoy
Re Kevin Clancy
I am not sure about that.
You may know from personal experience but I can’t see any record confirming he is an OA.
Interesting that not a single persons has given me a single name re OA in board positions in Celtic history (aside from Dom McKay and Nicholson) yet loads of crap spouted about it.
Re Clancy it is interesting as he is not a ref I ever enjoy watching but he is far more despised at Ibrox than at Celtic. Thst is not usually a Jesuit trait. Pragmatic and accommodating for greater good is more the ‘SJ’ style.
To paraphrase a comment i posted this time last year
“We can’t hope to compete in Europe if we sell all our best players and replace them with nearly signings”
Other clubs, all over Europe and Scotland, don’t seem to experience the same challenges we do
We’re running out of excuses
All the work this blog does in explaining how complex negotiations are ….
Why is that? Why are we always at the coos tail when most other clubs don’t have these issues getting players in.
My theory? Negotiation is a much more enjoyable sport to our “owner” and suits than the football is.
Vinniethedog @ 12:19 pm,
Having seen financial traders up close and dirty, I understand when it comes to deal making these guys are teir one…
Howevah, trading in that pernicious environment and in that merciless culture is very different to how football operates…
Maybe DD thought it could give his organisation an edge and more profit, however you must adapt to the customs and culture you are dealing in – being too uncompromising and hard nosed could make you seem toxic and parasitical.
Hail Hail
Here’s a novel idea.
Calm doon and actually read the article.
🤔🤔🤔
“I have major concerns about breaking the wage structure to acquire a player, this sets off a cost chain reaction. But if wages are agreed, a one-off fee is not threatening”
——
The deal with the player is done.
Wage inflation is not a factor in this case.
It’s the fee.
Neither the seller (who needs money) nor the buyer (who needs players) are in a strong position.
Game of poker or game of chicken or whatever you want to call it.
I assume (happy to be corrected) one tenet of Pablo’s post is simply …
… once upon a time we had a guy
… with a bit of gravitas, a bit of swagger, a bit of an operator
… who was reasonably well known in European football
… perhaps through his association with the ECA
… And that guy would place a call
… that would be automatically answered
… and €300k level problems would be sorted.
Maestro
Acsom is classic self serving attention seeking anti Celtic ridden garbage. Up there with bbc. Except it makes profit from our woes.
Back to Basics
Spot on.
Burnley Jim Orr normally on each Friday and worth a listen anti Celtic are the current dummies following DD orders.
Having leaked the Baur link to the press (as a good news antidote to Iheanacho, Saracchi, Boro crowd?) Celtic put themselves under pressure to close the deal and increased Paderborn’s bargaining power. It’s actually now cruel to leave Nicholson in place. The Irish meeting increasingly sounds like a cry for help.
PS ACSOM content is terrific. PJ Dykes devotes his working life to Celtic. A bit too fanatical if anything.
“Get a move on and just pay them what they want”
“But it’s more than we value the player at. It will mean less money for other players.”
“Do it, it’s important”
“Ok”
Next time:
“Get a move on and pay them what they want”.
“But they’re quoting a much higher price than we value the player at abd we don’t have as much money as last time because we overpaid. You said it was important last time.
“I don’t care. It’s important this time just pay”
“Ok but we cant keep doing this”
Next time:
“It’s important, get the deal done. Pay them what they want”
“But theyve put their price up even more because we always pay, and we have even less money because weve overpaid on our last two deals”
“I don’t care. Just pay it.”
“You said the last two were important. We can’t keep doing this”
“I don’t care, you’re a snail and a cancer. Get out of my club”
Leaves club.
Next guy arrives
“Get a move on and just pay them what they want”
“That makes no sense, it won’t work.
“You dont know how things work round here. Get out of my club, you snail, you’re a cancer.
Next guy shrugs
ACSOM is rabbit hole Celtic. I tried but &)@/ me. Self serving delusion.
So on top of a double winning team compared to last year we have :
no crap goalie
A credible manager and coaching set up who want to be there.
Fit international RB
Fit proven international CB returning
Fit emerging young Striker talent
New Striker
Star Winger back training
More experienced winning midfielders with Engles and Nygren
Want away striker and midfielder now departed
Potential to bring in several new players in time for European campaign which starts in 26 days time.
Potential to top up with decent loans toward end of window as previous.
It’s not great but I hope reasonable Celtic fans who don’t have a bitter wee man chip on their shoulder axe to grind can see that there are some good things.
I also get that we miss the role PL played as suggested by Back to Basics.
THE BADA BING on 24TH JULY 2026 12:30 PM
So ‘breaking the wage structure ‘ is the latest squirrel to be thrown about now,absolute nonsense, absolute amateurs running this Club
See above. Continually break a wage structure and you don’t have one.
PLB
Devotes his life
Or
Makes a living he would not otherwise do out of magnifying Celtic misery.
Tomato Tomayto.
Sad folks who love magnifying our clubs mistakes will always chose the former.
The Bada Bing @ 12:32 pm,
“Jota back training at Lennoxtown
Grand news – if the grapevine was true about his injury trauma, then it could be some time with the physios, trainers and coaches…. but well worth waiting for the re~return of the prodigal…
Hail Hail
As regards recruitment.
As someone who developed a system for recruiting professionals from all sectors to work overseas in poorer counties using simple card index software, I cannot understand when in days of AI such a knowledge system cannot be utilised.
Set a footballing profile for each position with attributes required and weighted.
Create a data base of players with full contract details and search for players that meet position profile with end of contract dates and keep an eye on those with a reasonable match.
A prospecting department to support the football dept to make decisions and put to Board with relevant data including costs and go after the players thrown up by the process.
The days of reliance on managers experience of players in prospecting terms have gone.