Eboue breaks signing guidelines

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You will remember we track the number of appearances young players make before they sign for Celtic. We have a sweet spot of around 60 games (van Dijk: 62, Wanyama: 51, Dembele: 56).

It typically takes this number of games before a prospect will raise his profile enough to come to our attention, and for subsequent scouting to take place. Consider the process. Before recommending a player to Celtic, one of their in-country scouts will have to see him perform on a number of occasions and tested at a level comparable to the challenges faced by Celtic.

Alternatively, agents will need to produce DVDs to entice some interest. It takes time to differentiate a Kieran Tierney from a one season wonder.

Leave it later, say until around 100 games have been played, and a van Dijk is likely to flicker on radars in England or Germany. Celtic’s chances of acquiring the player would be considerably diminished, as even one season wonders can fetch £8m when an EPL club shows interest. Out of Celtic’s reach, but often still rubbish.

Kouassi Eboue breaks our guidelines. The teenager has made a starting line-up on 16 occasions in senior football plus three as a sub. He was red carded once and subbed off four times, so he’s only played 11 full games. 11 games is not a lot to base a £3m purchase on.

On the plus side, the quality of many of those games is reassuring. Five of his 90 minutes came in the Europa League against Salzburg, Nice and Schalke, so Celtic will have had the chance to see him perform against decent European sides – as an 18-year-old.

There are things I don’t know about this deal, where the recommendation came from being the most significant. I don’t recognise his agent, so not surprisingly it appears we’ve reached beyond the pools we were fishing in under Ronny and Neil. Kouassi also appears to be the agent’s most/only valuable asset. As such, I doubt the initiation came from the agent, or if the player’s profile was raised with anyone outside Russia before Celtic had the preliminaries signed.

Is a season in the Europa League the new sweet spot for a Celtic prospect? Stay tuned.

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406 Comments

  1. Go tell the Spartim on

    Cheers Lennbhoy

     

    Greatly appreciated with the usual caveats of course

     

    Personally if I was being greedy I’d like another CB

  2. Memories

     

     

    Bon bon man sold sweets fae his car boot.

     

     

    Teabread man gave you sugar donuts on tick til following week.(werent really donuts but sugar …somethings)

  3. Wonder if Craigy Bhuoy gave tin legs a green pound……bet you he probably sleeps with it under his pillow

  4. Everton have just signed a relatively unknown teenager for £11m. Moussa has a market value of at least £25-£30m. That is the reality of the current market as that is an affordable amount for at least 10 clubs down south.

  5. Alpine bottles

     

     

    First and last attempt at home brew had about a dozen of them in the kitchen.

     

    Sitting watching the TV one night and they all fermented at the same time fecking big mess and holes all over the ceiling.

     

    Also worked in Garvies as a lad, slave Labour and a good few Huns thrown in for good measure.

     

     

    HH

  6. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Moussa definitely worth minimum of £20m.

     

     

    Why?

     

     

    1. Previously coveted before joining current club

     

     

    2. Current u-21 French player of the year

     

     

    3. At club whose recruitment strategy has track record of delivering quality

     

     

    4. Coached by top manager

     

     

    5. Already made impact in Champions league

     

     

    6. Current club have track record of selling players who subsequently flourish in Premiership

     

     

    7. Young player with considerable resale value

     

     

    8. Financial cost of relegation – £100m plus

     

     

    9. Martial – £36m / McCormack £14m. Split the difference its still £25m

     

     

    Hail hail

  7. Reports in France suggest Celtic are looking to sign 19 year old defender Jean-Kevin Duverne dubbed the ‘new Varane’.

  8. GreeninbingleyinOslo on

    Moussa

     

     

    A £20 million bid would not surprise me, didn’t Spurs last January offer Fulham £7 or £8 million for him? What a steal we got with that bhoy.

     

     

    Can’t see him going to the likes of West Ehm – Zidane bigged him – and us – up in the summer and said he had gone to the right place (ie us) and that he hoped he would stay for a couple of years, gaining experience.

     

     

    The bit he didn’t say out loud was “…and then I’ll buy him”. But the inference was there.

  9. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    BARCABHOY on 5TH JANUARY 2017 3:37 PM

     

    The Eboue signing highlights an opportunity and a rare area of advantage over English clubs. Part of the criteria for gaining a work visa is that you have to demonstrate the player will enhance the game.

     

     

     

    Now enhancing the EPL is a challenging business. That league is choc full of Internationals and no small number of world class players. 19 – 22 year olds who haven’t played huge numbers of games won’t get a work visa in England.

     

     

     

    Thats what happened with Wanyama , who then proves his bona fides at Celtic and qualifies for a work visa for England.

     

     

     

    Celtic are in a fantastic position to exploit this opportunity. Signing for Celtic is just about the best opportunity for talented Non EU players in their late teens early 20’s. I’d expect to see more of this type of signing

     

    =====================================================================

     

     

    Very interesting points you raise.

  10. Hows that tie in thingy going with the huns and the Dallas Cowboys going?? Anyone…??

  11. Delaneys Dunky on

    BT

     

     

    I remember the ginger war in Knightswood.

     

    The Bon Accord ginger truck would travel the Alpine ginger truck route an hour before the Alpine time. Many a ginger boatle battle on the streets. :)

  12. 50 shades of green on

    Sweeties is it,

     

     

    I’ve long thought that a few on here would benefit from Gobstoppers ..

  13. Delaneys Dunky on

    Jude

     

     

    Great player at RC and a great guy by all accounts. He would never get a game for us unless we sold Moussa and Griff tomorrow.

  14. 50 shades of green on

    THETIMREAPER on 5TH JANUARY 2017 8:44 PM

     

     

    Mousse dessert banned at Poundland.

     

     

    ######

     

     

    Still, plenty of other puddings at that place though.

  15. glendalystonsils on

    BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 5TH JANUARY 2017 8:39 PM

     

     

    I’ll see your raspberry ruffle bars and raise you;

     

     

    kola cubes and MB bars

  16. Glendalystonsils. 9.25.

     

    Brilliant, loads of pocket money or more accurately ginger bottle returns spent on both of them along with toffos and mint toffos.

     

    Hail Hail