Separating rubbish speculation from what we can hope for

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On occasion, it is hard to tell rubbish speculation from genuine interest Celtic have in players, but we all know the parameters Celtic operate within and what will forever be out or reach and off-plan.  Scott McTominay (26) falls into this category.

He earns in excels of £60k per week and would cost tens of millions to release from Manchester United.  It is not that Celtic could not find budget for him and him alone, but just as we discussed about Kieran Tierney recently, why would the club tie-up a significant portion of their new spend on a player who would not appreciate in value?

If we bring in a player with an established reputation in England, it would need to be on soft terms, someone late in their career or perhaps with a character flaw that would make Joey Barton look saintly.

Suggestions we could spend £15m on a player that fits our model are closer to the mark.  Odsonne Edouard joined on a permanent deal for €10m five years ago; £15m is where I expect Celtic to aim for now.  Getting deals done this type of player will be more difficult than the easier business we have done in Japan, Korea, or Norway, but we are actively shopping in this space.

I like the clause Jota apparently has in his contract – if Celtic reject a bid of £25m, they have to increase his wages by £500k per year.  A player who is worth rejecting that kind of offer is worth paying even more than his perceived value was a year ago.

Fortunately, the extra wages will not trouble Celtic, so they can hold firm on price.

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  1. Paul The Spark on

    Saint Stivs

     

     

    I agree with spending stupid money will not help us compete, but on the flip side spending small sums will get us nowhere. Player inflation has went up so naturally we would have to pay more just to stand still. I would rather we spent good money on 1 player than all the money we wasted on players such as Bangura etc.

  2. Signing players in the £15 million bracket big Pete will be spinning in his chair

  3. Another depressing thing for me , the player trading model , fine and dandy and sign me up for doubling your money on any buy and sell, seems sensible except if we are to hit peak value, and that means player is only here for 2 years while on a 5 year contact, it is going to continual churn.

     

     

    Wee Frimpong, that bhoy will go far, but it is disappointing not to see him here for several years, I feel the same about Jota, the superstar on the wing, just a fleeting career with the bhoys,

     

     

    Hero worshipping now has a new norm of 18-24 months.

     

     

    It is a lot of new tunes to be made up.

  4. BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 3RD JULY 2023 4:06 PM

     

    The Europa Cup final 2024 will be played in the Aviva Stadium

     

     

     

     

    Got any spare tickets ? :)

  5. PAUL THE SPARK on 3RD JULY 2023 4:01 PM

     

     

    Saint Stivs

     

     

    Good points well made.

     

     

    Someone not so long ago put together a good list of all the players bought and sold in the last 10 years and i think i recall 1 in 5 made us money, loads were write downs in the accounts, others you could call break even but most were in the speculative punts category, that cost little, their cirumstances being taken advantage of, a loan period with options to buy and a try for a fit, but if it doesnt work and they move on sometime.

     

     

    True high value losses were only a few, but the hits are spectacular, Dembele for example.

     

     

    The model works good if we can accept short term profit is now the king.

     

     

    I do have one other wee worry that has started to niggle.

     

     

    Someday an agressive take over bid will come, the Suads the Qatari, Emirates, as they continue to swallow up the worlds other resouces beyond oil and gas.

     

     

    Glasgow Celtic City

  6. From Alan @CBN..

     

     

    Player trading perspective we’re only playing at it ,red bull salzburg below…

     

     

    Season 18/19

     

    Arrivals £23M Departures £61.6M

     

     

    Season 19/20

     

    A £33.9M D £113.75M

     

     

    Season 20/21

     

    A £20.2M D £36M

     

     

    Season 21/22

     

    A £18.5M D £67.43 M

     

     

    Season 22/23

     

    A £36.5M D £105.44

     

     

    Won the league each year, last 16 of ECL

     

    We’re the AZ Alkmar level at the moment.

     

     

    Can we do it? Yes we can….

     

     

    HH

  7. Paul The Spark on

    Saint Stivs

     

     

    I think you are right to be concerned with Middle Eastern money. It’s goal is to disrupt the football map. Can see them try to initiate a super league and it’s going to cause chaos. Lots of fans will be totally disenfranchised and the game will never be the same again.

  8. Seems we are still at the grief stage of the change cycle amongst some of our support.

     

     

    We’ve been poor in the trading game.

     

    Long term attachment to Celtic amongst players & managers is a thing of the past.

     

    Adapt or die.

     

     

    Simples csc

     

     

    HH

  9. “We need to be aggressive in our approach but within the financial constraints of a club like ours. Aggressive in the transfer market – it could be unsettling with players in and out quickly but if you look at the models of clubs our size they’re very agile.

     

     

    “Every couple of years they regenerate and move players out at the right time with improved players in. We need to push aggressively over the next two to three years, first qualifying and then making an impact.”

     

     

    – Thon Greek fella, AGM 22/23

     

     

    Get on the bus csc

     

     

    HH

  10. BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 3RD JULY 2023 2:28 PM

     

    Por Cierto.

     

    “How spellchecker can move “Por” to “Pie” is beyond me.”

     

     

    That’s no spellchecker, a love a pie!

     

     

    pie cierto!

  11. GENE on 3RD JULY 2023 4:37 PM

     

    Salzburg haven’t reached a European final since 93/94

     

    Just saying

     

     

     

     

    3rs, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd in ECL groups in the years I highlighted.

     

    Regulars & achieving more than us recently.

     

    But they could punch higher. Agreed.

     

     

    HH

  12. Big Wavy

     

     

    “Good grief, we are trying to win our first knockout tie in 20+ years.”

     

    ————————————————-

     

    What constitutes a knockout tie? Why are we repeating this FF falsehood?

     

     

     

    2021/22- We beat Jablonec and AZ to qualify for a Europa Group slot. If we had lost either tie we would have been “knocked out” of the Europa League. Why do those 2 not count as knock out tie wins?

     

     

    2019/20- After getting knocked out of the CL by Cluj we beat AIK in the Europa play off’s. That was a knockout tie as AIK were knocked out of the Europa League, as we would have been if we lost.

     

     

    2018/19- We beat Suduva to qualify for the Europa League. Suduva got knocked out of that comp.

     

     

    2017/18- we beat Linfield , Rosenborg and Astana. Losing any of those would have seen us knocked out of the CL but we weren’t. We got to play PSG, Bayern and Anderlecht but there was no CL spot for the NI mob, the Norwegians or Khazaks. At a stretch, you could say beating Anderlecht in the CL group overall was a knock out tie win too. If we hadn’t beaten them on head to head, we would not have qualified for Europa last 32 and we’d have been knocked out of that.

     

     

    I am not going any further back in your 20 year timeline. Suffice to say, a very narrow definition of knockout tie is being applied by those who claim we never win them.

  13. Celtic as a club first and foremost have to rely on the loyalty and cash of the support to survive, unlike the top leagues in Europe where the TV revenue, especially in the EPL is so large that we are now outspent by teams such as Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton etc.

     

    The quick turn over of players has become a necessity for us to survive, how long supporters will be willing to shell out large amounts of their earnings following a team mostly made up of out and out mercenaries is the big question.

     

    As long as we can compete well in any of the 3 top European competitions I think they will turn up in their numbers.

     

    The scouting system will have to be top notch over the next number of years as change is coming fast in World Football, and we’ve got to make sure we’re not too far away from the top table when it does come.

  14. !!Bada Bing!! on

    Photos of Jota in Dubai doing the rounds……..PS don’t tell Turkeybhoy….

  15. BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 3RD JULY 2023 4:56 PM

     

    🎶 We’re all off to Dublin in the green 🎶

     

     

    🎶We’re all off to Dublin in the spring🎶

     

     

    You know the next bit now, don’t you??? :)) por cierto

  16. It looks like we have no opposition for our S. Korea leg of our Far East tour. We are also having a struggle getting a S. Korea team to transfer their player to us mid-season. Can we not kill 2 birds with one stone and play against that team letting them keep the crowd proceeds if they agree to the immediate transfer?

  17. SFTB…

     

     

    Of the substantive point I was trying to make, that’s a rabbit hole I can’t be assed to enter.

     

     

    Let’s say….’we underperform at European level for a club our side, in recent years’

     

     

    HH

  18. Bada Bing – the MSM, the bookies, Sky etc etc all knew Ange was going to Spurs but some on here held onto a belief that until Celtic say so, it is not worth discussing. Same guys have been in denial over Jota, saying it was all based on one middle east tweet.

     

    Celtic have still said nothing.

     

    Celtic Slow News.

  19. bigrailroadblues on

    Good evening all from the Lord Edward, Dublin. A great wee locals pub where I watched Celtic many times. The locals support man u. Not unusual in Dub.

  20. Guys,

     

     

    It’s not all gloom and doom. Especially if we spend astutely.

     

    We have a top notch manager and we will have a decent squad.

     

     

    I remember posting years ago that BR was a lucky manager. So all we need is a wee bit of luck in the European draws and converting a better ratio of chances then who knows.

     

     

    To be Frank, if the huns can get to within one kick from a European trophy then so can we.

     

     

    I look forward to the full houses watching us try.

     

     

    HH the journey continues.

  21. On knock out ties.

     

     

    I am loving that we dont have to play qualifiers now.

     

     

    Being straight in the group stage comes with so many season planning reliefs that its just so much early advantage over the others, guaranteed revenue stream is known, shock knock outs are gone, embarrasing first game reversals gone.

     

    A proper break for our players, and no cpmetative game until august, I prefer this than the dramas of trying to qualify.

     

     

    I noted other night CL prelim rounds had started, jeesy peeps.

     

     

    One thing i do want though, our teams that have to qualify, please please please do so, well not the huns, they have safety net of europa, that is fine enough.

  22. bournesouprecipe on

    No idea what supporters want Celtic to say about potential transfers, they’ve announced signings Holm and Tilio.

     

     

    Makes sense to me.

  23. the road to wembley beging for us in mid september

     

     

    When are the 2023/24 Champions League group stage matches?

     

    Matchday 1: 19/20 September 2023

     

    Matchday 2: 3/4 October 2023

     

    Matchday 3: 24/25 October 2023

     

    Matchday 4: 7/8 November 2023

     

    Matchday 5: 28/29 November 2023

     

    Matchday 6: 12/13 December 2023

  24. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Cheers Por/Pie Cierto

     

     

    I wonder if any other monikers could be changed to fit?

     

     

    Question for all of you ….

     

     

    (Back to Basics, Pie Half Eaten)

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