Brendan Rodgers first signing for Celtic has been confirmed as striker Moussa Dembele (19), who was out of contract at Fulham. Capped up all French youth levels, Moussa was subject to a £6m bid from Tottenham in January, but Fulham chose to retain the player in their fight for Championship survival.
Sought-after players are seldom available out of contract, and even less-seldom come to Scotland, so this is a bit of a coup for Brendan’s Celtic.
I spent most of the day telling people this one works on paper but that I was concerned at his age. Then I realised he’s a French contemporary of Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman (4 weeks older than Moussa). I’ll put my ageism back in its box.
Welcome to Celtic, Moussa, and well done to everyone who pulled the deal together.
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Dembele + Ajer = Clint Hill.
That’s age by the way – not ability!
Great signing for the club – well done to all involved.
Welcome to Celtic, Moussa.
TET
““The Manager deliberately has a relatively lean first-team squad to create aspiration and to ensure a pathway for young players and that all players at the Club can ‘see the first team.”
Aye, but is it a heated pathway?
THE EXILED TIM on 28th June 2016 9:20 pm
I have a feeling that McGregor will figure under Brendan, he plays with his head up, always looking to pass and move, one of the few who we have that I can say that about, far too many are too static imo, he can also chip in with a goal or two.
——–
Agreed. Moves the ball quickly (usually forward). Defences don’t get time to get organised.
Even better if you have strikers on the same wavelength.
Seems to be a lot of talk in different places established about sevco pushing the boat out.
I would have thought that in order to push the boat out they would need to have a boat.
GGH
Last time they pushed the boat out they came back a man light.
From TET’s zombie propaganda link
“We are also increasing our representation and influence on key committees to ensure Rangers are at the heart of shaping any changes made within the Scottish game – changes which everyone must acknowledge are required if we are to produce a better quality and different type of player for our country and, in our case, at Rangers.”
The more things change the more they remain the same. Basically we are going to cheat like our dead predecessors, aided and abetted by the blazers.
I agree with all who have sung the praises of Calum McGregor. If BR has watched videos of last season and esp the tail-end of last season then he will see a talent in Calum.
Just dinny ask him to go to the local drive thru.
SFTB
Fortunately this is a,midweek night. Reading your post while drinking beer could have caused serious problems of the beer spitting kind.
Chaotic scenes here in Istanbul Ataturk airport tonight. Many fatalities and serious injuries following an apparent terrorist attack.
If people think that Brendan is not a candidate for the England job, they are deluding themselves.
He was interviewed and passed over for the ‘safe’ bet of Roy Hodgson – the FA probably regret this decision bitterly.
They will now look for a younger ‘hands on’ coach with experience of handling EPL players – Brendan is one of the few that ‘fit the bill’
I think it almost inevitable that they will consider him again – we wait and see.
Stranger things have happened – remember Jock Stein’s short stay at Leeds, when the SFA came calling.
Fingers and everything else crossed that we are not “robbed’.
Much talk of need for a striker and central defender.
Don’t forget the right back. We need cover there. Arguably a left back too. In case Tierney gets injured.
Kevinbhoy are you actually in Istanbul?
I was in the airport there a few months ago. It is sending chills down my spine to think of it.
A big welcome to the young fella… I hope he prospers and grows with the team. We know a ball hasn’t been kicked under the new management but it all seems to be coming together nicely.
More terrible scenes in Istanbul tonight – safe travels to anyone headed in that direction.
Top tip.
Don’t get in any boat with an original real rangers man
Mats, we get some attention seekers, some obvious Huns trying to disrupt.
We also get some who just talk absolute nonsense.
You seem to be an amalgamation of all of these.
Good luck.
Terrible news about Istanbul attacks. The world is a dangerous place. My prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.
More heartache for innocent people, this time in Istanbul, may the souls of those killed rest in peace somehow and may their friends and families be comforted in this time of tragedy….
SP
MATS NILLOC
The SFA didn’t come calling for Jock.
He got Archie MacPherson to bite the ear of the SFA until they offered him the job.
All in Archie’s excellent biography of Jock.
Roy Hodgson’s contract was up at the end of this tourney. England were always going to be looking for a new manager. Brendan Rodgers and every other manager would have known this. The FA will have had feelers out looking for the next guy for a while now. NO chance our new manager is leaving. Is how I see it.
T
BMCUW: No music in my mailbox yet. I will let you know when it arrives.
T
TOBAGO ST
Sent it and a coupla others on Saturday,mate. Not having ever played it,it took some finding!
Very much looking forward to giving them all a good listen!
Cheers, T
Had dinner in the company of a friend who is of the Sevco persuasion. Hasn’t talked much about football in the last 4 years. Always pretended he didn’t even know who his team were playing from week to week.
And yet tonight he was talking in terms of “even if we don’t win the league at least we will have Europa League qualifiers for coming second”
I tried to let him down gently but in the end decided it was better to let him fall from a great height when they don’t even make the top six.
Supersutton
You’re spot on.
Ourselves, Aberdeen, Hearts, St Johnstone, Dundee and Motherwell for the top six.
Hotly pursued by ICT, Ross County, Hamilton. Kilmarnock and Partick.
I can convince myself they will struggle, with the help of the MIBs to stay off the bottom.
Hell I can dream.
Everyone seems to be getting a shade excited over the Dembele signing?
I’d rather wait to hear what Joey Barton thinks. ( I’m sure we WILL be hearing)
Let’s not get carried away with the Dembele signing.
The lad is not yet two score.
We shouldn’t expect him to score with the same regularity as LG.
At that age, two score, consistency is difficult to retain throughout the season.
I’d expect the manager to score him off the first pick list
And to bring him along slowly as a regular sub for LG when we need to score quickly.
OK enough.
Now that we have ditched some deadwood.
To the strains of Doris Day singing “The deadwood stage is a coming on down London Road.”
What about the midfield?
Is there space for Commons, Allen, the Johansen of last season, the end of season Bitton, the GMS of the whole season, and the elusive James Forrest?
Which of them can be relied upon to rise to the occasion, step up to the plate, and various other sporting clichés?
Which of them would attract a transfer fee?
And what about McGregor, Henderson and Christie, young guys with potential?
But enough to merit a place?
Who or how many will make way for Jeff Hendrick?
Who would be a manager?
It’s not easy to offload deadwood. Why would you give up a decent/lucrative contract?
I’d envisage Scott Allan going to England before making a heroes return to his spiritual home.
EMUSANORPHAN
The club that currently plays out of Ibrox are loading their squad with players aiming for the EL or CL next season. I don’t know where the money is coming from but it’s a huge short-term gamble similar to a man who had ‘wealth off the radar’ and gambled on CL qualification many moons ago but failed.
GG
Dembele is here to start alright, he had the choice of over a dozen clubs apparently , including Spurs and Stuttgart, he won’t be a benchwarmer
Ohh an good morning
Expat
They are using the season book money, gambling all on European qualification, very high risk and fatal should it fail
Dry but overcast due west of Glasgow airport.
Note to travellers big delays from Linwood on a737. Due to a car bump.
Don’t miss your flight.
Is this the day
The dots go grey
‘GG
Two score is forty,as far as I know.
He played well in a poor team last season,and scored a fair amount of goals.
That level is good enough for us to be optimistic. I’ll be very surprised indeed if he isn’t a huge success with us.
Morning all.
Terrible scenes from Istanbul.
My thoughts are with the families of those caught up in the carnage.
Have I broke the blog?
Where is everybody?
HH!!
Someone asked about Season Tickets earlier. There are four grey dots in the lower tier and around `two score` in the top tier apart from 416 which has quite a few. I leave it to Corkcelt to do the counting just as I would leave the East Kilbride weather report to Jobo.
As our first Home game ( I think) is against Aberdeen, I would expect a Full House; something we haven`t seen for quite some time for a SPL game.
JJ