Celtic’s January transfer window saw seven new players sign deals, although only four will be at the club for the remainder of this season, and only one of those, Vakoun Issouf Bayo, is on a permanent deal.
Bayo is a classic centre forward-target man, unlike Leigh Griffiths or Odsonne Edouard, who like to play in the channels. He has not played for two months, so it is likely to be a couple of weeks before we see him. He is here because of our Ivorian Connection through Kolo Toure, who is a coach at both Celtic and Ivory Coast. That being the case, the club should know more about him than most new signings, which should mitigate the risk inherent in any signing.
Since the resumption of action after the winter break, we have seen Oliver Burke and Timothy Weah fulfil the striker role, each on loan, from West Brom and Paris Saint-Germain respectively. Neither player is here to play the striker role long-term; expect them to supplement the wide positions after we return to a more normal compliment up front.
With minutes to spare, Jeremy Toljan signed on loan from Borussia Dortmund. This is a player who great things were expected from when he left Hoffenhiem 18 months ago, but Dortmund is a different beast and he did not find the move easy.
That’s not dissuaded many of his talent, which means Celtic’s chances of securing his services on a permanent basis are slim. I also believe the player is on pretty decent (cough) contract. He will not be here beyond May.
Maryann Shved, 21, arrived this week from Karpaty Lviv in Ukraine, where he has returned to stay until the summer. We moved early for Maryann, interest in the player was generated in only 38 competitive games. Players grow up on the football field and Maryann needs as many opportunities as he can get right now. With the manager having so many wide options for the remainder of the season, loaning him back to Karpaty was an easy decision.
Two American full backs were signed yesterday, Andrew Gutman (22) and Manny Perez (19), both loaned back to US clubs.
So all these loans arrivals, signings-only-to-be-loaned out, what’s the plan?
The top-level plan is to win the league, do our best to win the two cups and to give us the best chance of qualifying for the Champions League. Everything else is a consequence of this. Two decades ago, when Martin O’Neill set his mind to the same task, he signed talent who were at the peak of their physical capabilities. Many of those who arrived not only had experience in the English Premiership, they were top performers there.
By the time Gordon Strachan took over, signing strikers who were recently top scorers in England was no longer possible. Gordon took to Poland (as well as Easter Road), as we searched for talent in value markets.
Neil Lennon’s term saw the transitioning to where we are now. Neil found African talent, and successfully raided the lower leagues in England, but under his tenure we embarked on what would become one of the mainstays of our recruitment planning – loaning young players (Fraser Forster) who were not getting a sniff at wealthier clubs.
Many doors have closed to us in the last 20 years. There will be no more Chris Suttons, while competition for players across Eastern Europe is vastly greater than it was when we signed Artur Boruc.
The news is not all bad, in fact, significant things are much better than they were 20 years ago, most specifically, the development of young talent. Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney and James Forrest are more successful than any player Paul McStay and Aiden McGeady – and both of them were notable as exceptions for their eras.
The ‘Fraser Forster strategy’ – scout teams too distracted elsewhere to give opportunities to players, has been very productive. Olivier Ntcham, Odsonne Edouard and Dedryck Boyata all fall into this category (we’ll reserve comment on Daniel Arzani). We managed to get Odsonne on a try-before-you-buy loan first. During his loan he did enough to convince Brendan Rodgers to beak our transfer record on him. Celtic think this will continue to be a productive furrow for them.
Not all signings are Development Projects
Not all loans fall into this category. Some, like Jeremy Toljan, are here to do a job for a specific period. Development Projects are not the only game in town, sometimes you just have to plug a hole to strengthen the team.
There were choices for the right back role. Lech Poznan’s Robert Gumny was looked at and liked, but the player failed a medical a year ago and has not played enough football since a subsequent operation to convince anyone he would be fitter than Jozo Simunovic. Or we could have tried to find a nugget elsewhere, but Jeremy got the nod.
We sign a lot of players
Two American full backs on the same day we sign a German full back, “millions of wingers”. This has been going on for a while. You, me, Celtic and the players know, not all of them are going to make it. Football, for a century, has harvested talent, picked the cherries and cast the darnel aside.
I remember Martin O’Neill, flush with the success of his early signings and before his Ulrik Laursen and David Fernandez period, told us that every signing a football club makes needs to be a success. Yes, if you have the wisdom and insight, the luck and the money, maybe you can be so bold. But there is a real world out there full of scouts and managers who each carry the weight of experience of players who just didn’t work out.
There are formulas, some better than others, but we should know that just putting a Celtic jersey onto a player will not, and has never, made him a certain success. Martin would have been more accurate by saying ;You have to kiss a lot of frogs in this business’, just do your best to get some handsome frogs in the first place.
We have exceptional domestic talent: Scott Brown, Kieran Tierney, James Forrest, Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie – better than any Scottish team in 30 years, and we have done very well to retain them.
There is room for others to follow. The opportunity is there for Scott Bain and Tony Ralston.
As well as developing our own talent, we have cooperated with two of the world’s richest, Manchester City and PSG, to foster young players who are not getting a chance at their parent club. This is affordable, enhances the squad, and has helped achieve our football objectives.
We have five young players out on loan: Lewis Morgan, Calvin Miller, Andrew Gutman and Manny Perez, and Maryann Shved. The hope is some develop into first-team regulars, like Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie did.
That’s the strategy. Is it better than signing the best permanent players we can? Like you, I prefer the good ones to be tied down to long-term contracts at Celtic, but despite this, the answer is a clear yes. We need to work angles with PSG, Borussia Dortmund and Man City. We need to take risks on players with only a few dozen games under their belt. When an opportunity to sign a Ntcham or Boyata arises, take it. And we need to continue to do what we are doing with youth development.
Will it deliver 8-in-a-row? You bet your bum it will.
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Valencia look smart on the break 1-0 up against barca
HH
Burgas Hoops and Escape to Victory made me laugh! Saw penalties 2 and 4 on didgy stream
No.2 total embarrassment. Defoe should be ashamed. No4 not much bettet. Outside box and Sevco man dives into box.
I suppose the mason refs csn’t help it.In their DNA.
Came actoss a limerick by Edwrd Lear who holidayed in east of Scotland.
In the wee pub up north sat smug Beaton
With a first class with honours in cheatin
He went for a slash
Tripped over his sash
And headered it down to Port Seton.
Still to see one on son of gallas!
MALONE BHOY on 2ND FEBRUARY 2019 5:55 PM
This is from Paul Tenorio. National Soccer reporter for The Athletic SCCR.
MLS blocking the loan of a player ( Gutman ) to a USL team because an MLS team owns the players homegrown rights. Never mind that Nashville doesn’t enter MLS until NEXT YEAR. This is an example of how MLS regards a player’s rights and it’s a big problem.
2-0 now
HH
Valencia tearing Barca a new one…………………….oooofffttt
so this is what you get following a refs love-in 2 weeks ago in perth , an all time low from the mib, to reiterate to us , don’t mess and let us carry out our agenda.
BBC football website has the headline:
“Three penalties help Rangers narrow gap on Celtic.”
Seriously.
Pukki scores again
As I wrote a few weeks ago following the SFA review of Beaton’s Performance at Ibrox: When they were liquidated Scottish football had a chance to clean house. It chose not to do so and will reap what it sows.
Whilst Celtic will be cheated, I think we still have enough to get the job done.
As for the also rans contending for second place and cup finals………hell mend you.
If the refs in Scotland went full time….would their bungs be taxable ??????
TBB @ 5.31
Indeed, think young Andrew got a bit carried away today. Conspiracy theories aside, his performance
will see him downgraded for a while by the SFA who may be corrupt but they aren’t stupid, and Andrew Dallas
is already a joke of referee.
ALASDAIR
The one they missed doesn’t count.
Last time a Rankers entity got 4 Penaltys was from HMRC
D. :)
Penalty 3 – You are the ref?
they will do whatever it takes, to stop us getting ten in a row, cheating bassas.hh.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE
Where’s the baw :-)
Maybe if Son of Dullass gets demoted then sevco will get Colum again?
Bah me neither…
D. :)
Blatent….
We just need to do the biz…
HH
There’s zero chance that Dallas will be demoted.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 2ND FEBRUARY 2019 6:21 PM
Penalty 3 – You are the ref?
I think the linesman alerted Dallas that he could give that one
DAVID66, there is a good chance he will get promoted ,not demoted.hh.
Can’t wait for the next complete humiliation of Sevco.
Beginning to miss them even though they were only last season’s.
Their humiliations this season so far haven’t been so…… complete!
Bognorbhoy on 2ND FEBRUARY 2019 6:28 PM
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 2ND FEBRUARY 2019 6:21 PM
Penalty 3 – You are the ref?
I think the linesman alerted Dallas that he could give that one
————
Ah spreading the cheating for the gains and spoils doon the Ludge.
D. :)
Its not just the refs that are corrupt its the whole system, the cheating off the field in the cold light of day sticks in my craw even more.
Borrighter was given a 2 match ban when diving even though their was contact.
Will Defoe be offered a 2 match ban for no contact?
Bp1- I know. A feckin joke.
Hope you are well
D. :)
Ireland having a nightmare here
D. :)
Cowan saying nobody is complaining about the penalties, but then he has a rule that you aren’t allowed to complain about the ref if your team gets beat!
TET-I can’t get onto the sc
You’re a strong character as is your better half.
That will get you both through this trying time.
Only thinking good thoughts for you both ?
Big shock in the rugby
Rangers swept aside STMirren to go thre points behind Celtic, reports Reporting Scotland?
Fairhill Bhoy 6.39pm
Getting on SC ???
Am one of the mods so I have barred you :-)
Scroll down to the bottom and the latest article is there if you want to read or respond … imagine me being a Mod… always Madness & The Specials for me with the odd bit of Bad Manners :-)
Same as it ever was, 4 pens to assist them to beat st mirren, worse was dundee united game when the real rangers got to take a pen 3 times or until they scored it, class club and all of the time we hear the same shite about it evens its self out over a season hence we are due about 10 pens and them are due to give away 10. Looking forward to that, no me either.
Hh
TONTINE TIM on 2ND FEBRUARY 2019 4:32 PM
IMHO, if, and the key word here is if, we win the league this season it’ll be the biggest achievement in our 131 year history, bigger than the original 6IAR, 2 Empire Exhibitions Cups, Coronation Cup, 7-1 gemme, the Big Cup, an honest and legal 9IAR, the Centenary Double and stopping the thieving, lying cheating 10IAR.
————-
Tontine Tim- you are absolutely correct sir.
HH
D. :)
Has there been any update on why the mod2 seems to have favourable bloggers ??
Asking for a fwend ??
Which game had more penalties? Scotland Rugby or Rangers at Home
Gftb-they won’t except my email or login ?
One step behind ?
https://twitter.com/Celticnewsnow/status/1091770168051679232?s=08
Seen on twitter
Andrew Dallas has now awarded six penalties to “rangers” in two games this season. That is questionable in itself.