There was a standing joke on here for years. On day one of the transfer window someone would write, “The transfer window’s been open 13 hours and still no news, get your finger out Celtic”. It mirrored the less jovial comments when the transfer window had 13 hours left, although “get your finger out Celtic” occasionally still featured.
It’s not just Celtic, transfer business is a deadline activity. Why sell your prime asset early when you know desperate clubs will pay over the odds to appease the manager who is demanding sufficient resources to meet target?
You need to work an angle to pick up prime cuts this early in the window. We picked up Virgil van Dijk for a paltry £2.6m in June 2013, which is remarkable, considering he is an outstanding player who was working in one of Europe’s heavily scouted leagues.
We got in early with van Dijk, who had been released by Willem II without playing a game before making 62 appearances with Groningen. A false start followed by a period with just enough form to tempt Celtic’s scouts, but not so much as to alert the slower footed.
So what do we know about Dedryck Boyata? He’s 24, three years older than Virgil when he joined, but has played around half the number of first team games Virgil had experienced. Dedryck was vacuumed up by City as a 16-year-old, part of the annual harvest major clubs make each year. He clearly had something about him to convince City to retain him, but first team outings were rare. When Celtic came shopping a year ago, City were prepared to live without Jason Denayer for a season, but not Dedryck, who went into their first team squad.
It’s correct to say that knowledge of Dedryck is scarce, even among City fans, but Ronny has spent time on City’s training fields with him, and had him watched extensively in non-first team outings over the last year.
Is he the answer to our defensive prayers? Time will tell, but the recruitment strategy which brought him here is coherent. All our scouts and management team have watched him to the extent that a consensus has been reached. His profile is not high enough to commend a fee which is out with our budget, and most importantly, we can bring him in now, making sure he’s embedded before the potentially lucrative Petrofac Cup Champions League qualifiers.
Welcome to Celtic, Dedryck.
Still laughing, in case you were in any doubt.
684 Comments- Pages:
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BMCUW
You could be right!
ringoffireCSC
definitely away now
Mammy to the doc’s
Til later bhoys
HH
Greenpinta
Know what you’re going through, lost my Millie last August, still miss her terribly.
YNWA
The replay in 73 against Aberdeen was one nil, McNeil scored.
anorakcsc
desertbhoy
06:57 on 4 June, 2015
…still hot in the desert!
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Which one are you stuck in?
I’m over in Hassi Moumene, near In-Salah, in the Algerian Sahara, and it’s very hot, windy, and dusty here just now.
HH, and keep drinking the water!
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon
Bit harsh on Blatter. I believe if you just come out and say you were duped it is generally accepted.
LB
Greenpinta, you have my heartfelt sympathy.
At least you were able to be there, to make the right decisions.
I lost my two ageing Newfies nine years ago, within two months of each other; each time, while I was stuck in Baku. Being unable to be there to make the correct choices, at the right time, made it harder for everyone involved.
Man’s best friends indeed!
HH
More football-related developments from Celtic!
CELTIC have agreed a lucrative partnership deal with ambitious Saudi Arabian top-flight outfit Hajer Club.
Their link-up with newly-promoted Al-Ahsa-based Hajer Club will be their first partnership with a team in the Middle East.
Hajer Club chairman Sami Al-Melhem said: “This is a pioneering move for a club in Saudi Arabia.
“The partnership will benefit both clubs professionally and commercially. We will be able to use Celtic’s expertise in coaching, recruitment and the administrative side of football.
“The partnership also allows us to send the most promising players in Saudi to train at Celtic.”
How many games has the great Lionel played against us and how often has he scored? I think it is safe to say we have done better than most other teams. (I know the Great Wall has a lot to be proud of with that record.)
Greenpinata
Know exactly how you feel had to put down my daft as a brush springer in January. Was in pieces.
emeraldbee
Thanks for posting the statement about Celtic having a partnership with a team from Saudi Arabia.
This concerns me .
No way should we be having dealings with anything from a country which has had countless human rights abuses and where women are 2nd class citizens.
What are we thinking about?
https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/saudi-arabia/
Whitedoghunch
Thanks for the link.
Does or club have no conscience?
This move to me is like us having a link with a SA team during apartheid.
I have a feeling we have loaded the MSM gun for them.
I guess it ties in with our refusal to pay employees a living wage
LiviBhoy,
This goes beyond duped – maybe he was super-duped?
Strap in bhoys , we’re in for a bumpy ride on this one.
burghbhoy
Just on my break and saw the article about the link with the Saudi team.
A shockingly bad decision.
HT
We totally deserve all the criticism we will surely get.
burghbhoy
Ps more news on LW to come, not good.
HT
Are Celtic trying to alienate the support.
This is the type of behaviour I would expect from the Old Rangers
Who on earth sanctioned this tie-up with the Saudi club?!
Complete madness.
What next?
A link with a club from North Korea?!
HH!!
Ali Baba quoted in the Record, he’s sending over 40 thieves to takeover the Barras!
Q&A with Broony and Joe Hansen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKPkxHVYYOQ
HH
Italian media claiming that Sinisa Mihajlovic will be the next Manager of AC Milan. Heartless sods have taken to showing film of the Press Conference on the day that Pippo Inzaghi got the gig – ” My target is a top 3 place ” .He managed 10th.
My mate told me of the link up with Saudi yesterday. He is very angry about it and, I think, plans to cancel his ST. I can assure you that that is as serious as he gets. Personally, I am astonished,. It goes against everything we stand for. If it were a team in the likes of Malawi, then fine. In fact, better than fine. That’s what we should be doing. Not folk like the Saudis. Someone have a word with Peter Lawwell TODAY and stop it, please. It is simply wrong.
Googled countries with a blameless human rights record,couldn’t find one.
This article
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Q6cPhI_3vnYC&pg=PR19&lpg=PR19&dq=countries+with+a+blameless+human+rights+record&source=bl&ots=HI1YId798I&sig=XiKwajYai9hvI2tfqJZNPNY0vJs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ViBwVYuoNIOv7AawqoO4Cw&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=countries%20with%20a%20blameless%20human%20rights%20record&f=false
suggests the Innuits,but don’t they kill seals and polar bears?
South Of Tunis
08:45 on 4 June, 2015
” Messi is an alien who enjoys playing with humans ” Gigi Buffon 2 6 15
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Fantastic. :))
Speechless at this news:((
Parkheadcumsalford
This is a massive OG mate, a staggeringly bad decision on every level.
Make no mistake we will be caned in the media for this and rightly so.
Just like our refusal to pay LW this highlights the type of people on our board
EmeraldBee\o/ still proud to be an internet bampot
10:24 on
4 June, 2015
Where’s that from? It’s not on the club site.
It’s a shocking, shocking decision.
Who is L W.
TIMBHOY2
To make a bad day worse,we’re gonna sign Lee Wallace.
burghbhoy
The Saudis are in the club their crimes aren’t the same as the others crimes! Heads off on a daily basis n all, Isis though they’re the baddies!
Welcome Lee Wallace. :-)
What the hell are Celtic playing at? Are they not aware of the atrocities the regime in this country carries out almost every day on its own and other people?
Unbelieveable!!
HH
Just when we seem to be moving in the right direction, we get this!!
This Saudi tie in has to be stopped
L W is the new sevco chairman.
Lying W@nker.
HH!!
Maybe there is oil under that land we got off the council on the cheap big peters not daft you know!
Afternoon Timland from a hot hun free mountain valley.
Oh dear Celtic, money money, money, there must be better ways ffs.
HH
Cowiebhoy
Best of mi amigo