Jota, we cannot prevaricate

69

There is no point in you and I agreeing that Celtic will only maximise their potential if they stick ruthlessly to an elite player trading model, then prevaricating when it comes to executing.  Jota is not the most important asset I want to hold into this summer – that would be Cameron Carter-Vickers.  He is not second on that list – Kyogo takes that honour, while Callum McGregor is third.  Our Portuguese magician is fourth.

They all have a price, even CCV.  When it comes to Jota, we have to hope that figure would break a new threshold, eclipsing the £24m ceiling set by the sale of Kieran Tierney four years ago.  While the reported offer of £25m would technically achieve that, if we could nudge the figure to £30m, it would sweeten the medicine somewhat.

Player values are determined by several factors, two important ones are top price achieved by the selling club and top price achieved by the seller’s league.  ‘What’s their top selling price?’ is one of the first questions I’ve heard ask when a bid is being considered.

£25m is on plan.  It would allow us to achieve immediate objectives: sell at a profit, re-invest in areas needed and offer more attractive wages.  Although he’s only fourth top in my retention list, no one else in the squad is likely to attract a higher bid than Jota.  His age (24) and the four-year balance on his contract makes him the most likely player in the squad to break Tierney’s ceiling.

Although an extra £5m (minus Benfica cut) would be useful in itself, it’s what that £30m valuation would do for the value of the rest of the squad that’s more important.  It is a decade since we sold Victor Wanyama, our first >£10m player.  Within a year of that barrier being broken, Fraser Forster followed, then Virgil van Dijk two years after that.

It is four years since Tierney burst through the £20m barrier.  Getting to £30m is the next strategic goal.  It would mean anyone looking at Celtic players next year would have to come with a heavier wallet.

There will be a third blog later this afternoon to discuss new signing Marco Tilio.

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  1. Certainly, we need to breaking records here. Sell on also has to be considered, it will be neglible most likely, so all the more important to get a good fee. I seen 25 million euro reported which is someway short for me.

  2. We’re gonna need a bigger revolving door…..goodbye sweet prince. I’ll miss your smile and your eratic tackling technique.

     

     

     

    Everything Celtic

     

    @aboutceltic·

     

    46m

     

    🇨🇮 | Ismaila Soro

     

     

    Greek giants Panathinaikos are ‘very close’ to signing Celtic midfielder Ismaila Soro.

     

     

    [@Renascenca]

  3. I’m assuming also that t the end of this, Jota becomes our biggest transfer fee, eclipsing Edouard?

     

     

    Taking us to about £13m?

     

     

    HH

  4. I might be wrong but isnt Jota one of the first players to go for there a fee who isn’t a big name?

     

     

    Very difficult for us to set a fee for him if that’s the case.

     

     

    But now is the peak time to sell. Under 25 , at which point his market value starts tapering off, plenty of time on his contract, not looking for a move.

     

     

    Two months left in the window. Let’s get to work, or some other such empty cliche

  5. One of the things that distinguishes buying from the Dutch and Portuguese markets, compared with buying from Scotland, is the track record of success that buys from those countries have compared with Celtic.

     

     

     

    Guys who we thought were top class European performers like Wanyama and Forster did not look anything like as stellar down south. Squad players who were not guaranteed first team players, like Christie and Armstrong easily coped with lower league EPL but did not impress enough to attract interest from bigger clubs. We really need those guys to make an impact if we are to get money for our next prospect.

     

     

     

    Of course, VVD gave us a boost and Kieran looked like he was going to justify the raised level of transfer fee that we had eventually commanded. It is injury rather than talent that has made him look less of a bargain.

     

     

     

    In my view, we clearly undersold VVD and Artur Boruc but we got the right fee for KT.

     

     

     

    If, as reported, (and remember I said IF) Jota goes for £25m, we will have equalled our record but………………..

     

     

     

    We will have done so for a player with no injury history

     

     

    For a player with attacking flair rather than a defender

     

     

    And for a player from the Benfica stable.

     

     

     

    I reckon he has been undersold. I reckon that, if he had stayed at Benfica and only made a handful of appearances in a breakout season, the Portuguese club could have generated a sale of £40 + for such a player.

     

     

     

    I understand the fear of leaving assets unsold. We lost out on big money for Larsson and for McStay. The Ibrox club lost out on money for Kent and Morelos by not selling at peak but there was no sign that Jota had got close to the moody stages that they reached. The Ibrox club made a killing on the dud Bassey and we could have got at least half of what we got for Jota by selling the reluctant-stay Abada instead.

     

     

     

    Celtic made a good impression on CL opponents last year. Giving the sane talent a second opportunity to shine could have seen Jota’s fee rise from £25m to £40m+.

     

     

     

    I refuse to believe we have sold him at peak price. We have no other winger near his level of skill and consistency. Abada might attract a £10m + bid if he keeps scoring but Maeda, Haksa and Johnston won’t. We’d be lucky to get £10m for the three together.

     

     

     

    So, how keen was Jota to go that we had to accept this? Does he think Saudi is going to be an elite league or a retirement home. The stars are gonna be surrounded by 8 moderate Saudi players- what CL type stage will they command? Will they national coaches select them from this background. This is not the equivalent of LIV golf where the top 100 players were almost all bought as a package. It is still just an unrated retirement home with a couple of young players being paid huge wages to damage their development pathway.

     

     

     

    Which club is going to pay a Saudi club £50m for one of their players enjoying already inflated wages?

     

     

     

    I am deeply disappointed IF this is true

  6. quadrophenian on

    Agree Paulo.

     

    CCV is the real diamond in our crown.

     

     

    I guess Jota was a recruitment team pick, presented for Ange’s approval, which can work out super-well for us.

     

     

    You say clubs need to come with heavier wallets Paul…then again, those we try to buy from also know our pockets are stuffed with Riyal too – so they’ll try and push the selling price up too. Works both ways.

     

     

    Meanwhile as Philmac says, the currents are turning into the loaner rangers

     

     

    ——–

     

     

     

    For yer Marco blurb… In three seasons since moving from Sydney FC to Melb City, 21-yr old Marco has bagged 20 goals and 19 assists in 86 appearances in league and cup comps.

  7. Prevaricate? Why would you suggest there would be any obfuscation or untruth in Celtic’s dealings with any potential transfer of Jota? It’s binary – he stays or he goes, that simple.

     

     

    The transfer fee will be in excess of £20m if he does, and I don’t see why Celtic will try to hide that.

     

     

    However, at this point in time there is nothing for Celtic to discuss publicly. Neither the club or the player is in a position to communicate on what is currently speculation until a bid is submitted, accepted and the the player agrees terms or not with the proposed buyer.

     

     

    Then an announcement will be made (or not if he is staying).

     

     

    KTF

  8. The EPL Executive must be bricking themselves as more and more A-rated players join the “Aff yer Heid” League. I mean how can they ask SKY for top $ when, eventually, all the best players are no longer playing there? Even a European Super League is surely now a dream? Of course, this could still be a way around the new Financial system, only time will tell, por cierto

  9. Still not a word from Celtic.We are basing facts and figures,and opinions on one Tweet,and the uninformed info from the Ragspack.

     

    Might well be true,but they know EFF ALL.Stop giving them credence.At the moment,everything is rumoured.

  10. TURKEYBHOY on 30TH JUNE 2023 12:21 PM

     

     

    We discuss facts, rumours and innuendo on here bud, it’s what the site thrives on. If you don’t post a link to their stuff then I think it’s ok, por cierto

  11. The anguish on this site about us realising our strategy is a sight to behold and think what Paul67’s alludes to with talk of prevarication.

     

     

    No final transfer fee will have been agreed yet. There seems to be a £25m ceiling on top Scottish talent and it’s in our interests to push this towards £30m for the sake of the Jot deal and those else where that come sniffing for our players.

     

     

    The idea that he’s the best of our wingers rules out that reinvesting in a Carlos Borges at £9/10m can’t happen. I think that will happen. He may go on to be better thn Jota or equally lucrative is we give hom the platform in Europe he doesn;t have today.

     

     

    Trust the process. Players are transient. Managers are transient nd in the next few days the CEO is the most important man in the club as he pushes the price upwards.

     

     

    Take no heroes.

     

     

    HH

  12. VFR,

     

     

    If you believe the stories being told,you are already way behind the times.He has agreed to sign,and has accepted the terms.If this is true,why have Celtic said nothing ?.

  13. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Sound logic Pablo.

     

     

    £30m it is. Now all we have to do is get it !

     

     

    I’d also agree with your assessment of our top four assets.

     

     

    I’d guess these 4 players would be in the top four of the majority of our fans.

     

     

    1. CCV. Bed rock. MVP

     

    2. Kyogo. Feel good superstar. Delivers

     

    3. Calum. Dependable, reliable, intelligent.

     

    4. Jota. Our best technician.

     

     

    IMHO, there are then a clutch of really good players in the next tier incl. Hatate, Starfelt, Johnston, O’Riley & Abada.

     

     

    Interestingly – all but one of those (Johnston) has been mentioned in transfer yap recently.

  14. Pod Cierto,

     

     

    My problem is ,the rumours and innuendo,are all being taken from the SMSM.Those Morons with Laptops,that,as far as I am led to believe,no on on here reads.

     

    I believe nothing they write until it has been 100 % proven.

     

    If you do,you are only sowing their bile and guff among their intended targets.Our fan base.

  15. CCV may be our most needed player but he is not our most sellable asset.

     

     

    A story of failing at EPL level then rehabilitating within the SPFL is not going to attract a £10m+ bid.

     

     

    However, the desire for CCV to show that Spurs fans were wrong about him will be strong. If CCV lasts one more year, it is likely to be his last with us before trying his luck again. I can’t name him for wanting to do that but he will not fetch us a big fee.

     

     

    Good luck to Ismaili Solo- his unfenced team finished 5th in the Portuguese League and he played regularly with him. If we were buying him from this position we would be excited by the prospect but Panathanaikos will get him instead.

     

     

    To add to my charge sheet on underselling Jota and VVD and Boruc, I would add Juranovic and Giakoumakis too.

     

     

    We better have a few good ones incoming- 2 new Centre backs and a star forward, for a start.

  16. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    TB – pure speculation on my part

     

     

    The reason Celtic have said nothing is due to us squeezing the fee?

     

     

    As for Jota’s motivation?

     

     

    Fag packet arithmetic and tax assumptions

     

     

    If he is on £30k per week at Celtic that equates roughly to £1.6m per annum gross

     

     

    With some clever accounting he can hold onto £0.9m per annum net after he pays his advisors and agents?

     

     

    If he gets a residence visa in Saudi he’ll pay no income tax.

     

     

    £10m p.a. which, after paying hangers could be as much as £9m p.a.

     

     

    We’re all Celtic fans (short for fanatics) but ask yourself…

     

     

    Would you make a professional move which resulted in your net income increasing tenfold?

     

     

    I would.

  17. Turkeybhoy, at this stage I don’t believe that any deal has been completed so why am I behind the times?

     

     

    I’m not even convinced that any discussions have taken place with the player.

     

     

    Possibly his agents have been sounded out and talked about a deal; possibly Celtic have received a bid and are discussing it; possibly I will win Euromillions tonight if I buy a ticket.

     

     

    All within the realms of possibility but no-one on here or in the SMSM has anything to go on but a tweet put out yesterday. Celtic deal in facts; they had no response to the Tilio rumours until today when the deal was complete; that’s the way I like the club to deal with speculation.

     

     

    KTF

  18. SFTB,

     

     

    I have a degree of sympathy for anyone negotiating players out of Scotland. There’s a reason Southampton is a destination for VVD before LIverpool and an exception (only at top 6 level then) from Arsenal, where £25m is peanuts.

     

     

    We might improve it if the players are on fire in Europe but no executive is going to fork out £30m on the back of performances against SPFL cannon fodder.

     

     

    How do we bypass this? (Create more volume each summer is one way)

     

    How do we ensure our buy-on clause is better. (We placed 10% on VVD versus Benfica’s 30% on Jota)

     

    Does loan-to-guaranteed buy work for us instead with a big 6 EPL team?

     

     

    Market’s changing. We need to stay smart. We need also to be less sentimental as a fanbase.

     

     

    HH

  19. fieldofdrams on

    Is it definitely our Jota we’re talking about? There are a couple of players out there with very similar names. I mean, we’re talking about the Daily Record’s ‘journalists’ here.

  20. While the reported offer of £25m would technically achieve that, if we could nudge the figure to £30m, it would sweeten the medicine somewhat.

     

     

     

     

    “Technically” doing some heavy lifting here, P67. Adjusting for inflation, we’d need to sell Jota at just over £30 million to match Tierney.

  21. I see the former Celtic manager Ange is a guest in the Aussie box at the cricket at Lords today.

     

     

    Already settling in to the London lifestyle.

     

     

    Seems the Aussies are playing Angeball today in honour of his visit.

  22. bournesouprecipe on

    Celtic players again as from 01/07/23

     

     

    Liam Scales (at Aberdeen until 30 June 2023)

     

    10 Ajeti (at Sturm Graz until 30 June 2023)

     

    12 Ismaila Soro (at Arouca until 30 June 2023)

     

    26 Osaze Urhoghide (at Oostende until 30 June 2023)

     

    30 Liam Shaw (at Morecambe until 30 June 2023)

     

    54 Adam Montgomery (at St Johnstone until 30 June 2023)

     

    Vasilis Barkas (at Utrecht until 30 June 2023)

     

    Mikey Johnston (at Vitória de Guimarães until 30 June 2023)

     

    Johnny Kenny (at Shamrock Rovers until 30 June 2023)

  23. BSR,

     

     

    Barkas has gone. Soro on the brink.

     

     

    The rest should also join them.

     

     

    Deadwood csc

     

     

    HH

  24. I am no genius, no fool either.

     

     

    If you look at all the “signings” we are linked with, it does make me wonder. Centre half, midfielders, wingers, and that tells me we are going to ship out and sell in these positions.

     

     

    On a lighter note, A pervert phones a woman and says, I bet you have a real tight arse and no hair. She says, yeas I do, he’s sitting on the sofa, who shall I say is calling

     

     

    KINGLuBO

  25. bournesouprecipe on

    BW

     

     

    Wait for it to be official, like the Jota story.

     

     

    Good player management from a Celtic, sell players that say yes to the money, imagine how Jota would perform if we denied him £10M .

     

     

    We need to get used to it, two titles is about right for these guys .

  26. This is Carlos Borges, Man City kid and possible next superstar from Portugal 2 year hero. Would cost big bucks, but maybe next season it’s Borges on the left and Tete on the right?

     

     

    Pace, power & technique. Why not?

     

     

    https://youtu.be/a5c9UB82xFQ

     

     

    HH

  27. I can forgive ange most things, life moves on for ambitious people , but seriously the cricket, dearie me.

  28. Certainly a strange one, Al-Ittihad’s previous transfer record is 10m paid in July 2021 for a Brazilian player from the UAE league.

     

     

    In season 22/23 they’ve shelled out a total of around £8m on transfers in total which is relatively normal for them, save 18/19 season when they went nuts and spent 50m on 11 international players, none of which went over 10m.

     

     

    A Google on ownership provides this curiosity, dated 5 June –

     

     

    Saudi Arabia’s PIF takes over Al Ittihad, Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ahli in major football ownership change

     

    Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will take over four of the leading football clubs in the country.

     

    The news followed an announcement earlier in the day from Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, about the launch of an investment and privatisation project in the Kingdom.

     

    The project aligns with the ambitious objectives of Saudi sports within Vision 2030, emphasising the development of an efficient sports sector by encouraging and enabling the private sector to contribute to the industry’s growth.

     

    PIF will own 75 per cent of each club and will establish not-for-profit foundations for each side and will select board members for the four sides.

     

    In a statement on Twitter, PIF said: “As part of today’s announcement of the Sport Clubs Investment and Privatisation Project, four Saudi clubs – Al Ittihad, Al Ahli, Al Nassr and Al Hilal – have been transformed into companies, each of which is owned by PIF and non-profit foundations for each club.

     

    “PIF’s ownership in the clubs’ companies represent 75 per cent in each club, while their respective non-profit foundations hold 25 per cent ownership of each club.

     

    “The transfer of the four clubs will unleash various commercial opportunities, including investment, partnership and sponsorships across numerous sports.”

     

    PIF owns 80 per cent of English Premier League side Newcastle United.

     

    The new ownership structure places the Saudi sovereign wealth fund atop an impressive roster of players, not the least Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

     

    Saudi clubs have been heavily linked with a summer of transfer activities. Karim Benzema, formerly of Real Madrid, has been rumoured to be on the verge of signing for Saudi Pro League champions Real Madrid. Al Hilal, on the other hand, have been repeatedly linked with a move for World champion Argentina Champion Lionel Messi.

     

    Saudi Arabia’s Sport Clubs Investment and Privatisation Project has three strategic objectives:

     

    • Fostering investment opportunities and an appealing investment environment in the sports sector

     

    • Boosting professionalism

     

    • Governance, and financial sustainability in sports clubs; and enhancing clubs’ competitiveness and infrastructure

     

    The Saudi Pro League, which has players from more than 40 different countries and has seen attendances increase by nearly 150 per cent in the past year, will be supported in its ambition to be amongst the top ten leagues in the world.

     

    Furthermore, the project aspires to raise the league’s commercial revenues from SR450m ($120m) riyals in 2022 to more than SR1.8b ($480m) annually, while generating private-sector investment opportunities and increasing the market value of the Roshn Saudi League from SR3bn ($800m) to more than SR8bn ($2.1bn) by 2030.

     

    ————————————–

     

    So a single company, which itself is owned by the state, now owns 4 of their top football clubs. Incidentally, since 1993 the Saudi Pro League has been won by one of those clubs every year except 4. A competitive league clearly isn’t top of their priorities.

  29. The returnof weeron on

    I’m a bit slow this morning but….

     

     

    Wasn’t there an almost identical tweet about Hatate the other day? If so, what makes the Jota one different? I think that Reo’s agent said it wasn’t on, but apart from that?

  30. The Star Above The Crest on

    Hi Paul 67

     

     

    “What’s their top selling price?’ is one of the first questions I’ve heard ask when a bid is being considered.”

     

     

    Can I ask, who did you hear ask the above question? Was it someone involved in a transfer deal involving a player? Was it someone involved in a transfer of a Celtic player? Was it someone who has nothing to do with the transfer of a football player and they were simply offering their opinion?

     

     

    Thanks in advance.

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