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Successfully prepare for the season in a dysfunctional industry

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

We’ve known for a while the strategic alliance Celtic have had with Manchester City, but how we have burrowed into the France international youth setup is, frankly, highly unlikely for a Scottish club.

First came Moussa, then Olivier.

Olivier Ntcham (21) will have known Moussa Dembele (21) from the French youth setup, and Patrick Roberts from their time at Man City. How both flourished at Celtic last season was a prime motivator for the player to head north.

With Olivier and Moussa flourishing in Glasgow, Brendan Rodgers was able to convince a third French youth international, Odsonne Edouard (19), to come to Celtic. We are now an attractive destination for players graduating from one of the world’s most productive international academy environments.

Edouard is here on loan. Celtic have the option secured with both Paris Saint-Germain and the player to turn this into a permanent transfer, should he developed as hoped over the next season.

The story is a little more complicated than just this, however. Odsonne was convicted of shooting someone with an air gun in July and given a suspended sentence. This, frankly, is grossly irresponsible and a suspended sentence is one of the better outcomes for Odsonne. Whatever influences were in his life leading up to this point, a new course needs to be taken in Glasgow.

I have no doubt that this conviction thinned the heard of some potential suitors, unprepared to take the risk on him. He has a year to develop his potential and set himself a new course. If he does, Celtic will acquire a remarkable talent for what in the current market, is a snip.

Patrick Roberts back on loan means that we have retained all first team players from last season, while augmenting the squad with several others. Patrick agreed terms to join permanently, but Manchester City were not prepared to let him go. They, like many others, believe there could be enormous potential on Celtic’s right wing this season. What happens next summer is too far away to contemplate with any certainty.

Jonny Hayes now looks third choice for the right wing slot, but he’s more likely to be utilised as backup for Scott Sinclair on the left. While Patrick Roberts was pursued throughout the summer, we were always going to have to wait until City made their decisions. This left us with only James Forrest for the right wing position for the qualifiers – and James is no stranger to injury. Jonny was available early in the window, so was an appropriate acquisition.

Kundai Benyu (19) arrived from Ipswich after a season on loan at Aldershot. Like Hayes, he can cover for Sinclair in left mid.

Rivaldo Coetzee (20) is the one that got away. He would have competed with Kristofer Ajer for the fourth central defender berth. With Simunovic fit, and Boyata and Sviatchenko both back from injury this month, there was no chance of us splurging big on a central defender. A strategic purchase, like Coetzee, was another matter.

The litmus test for any transfer window is, did we come out of it better than we went into it? Such outcomes are seldom evident the day after the window closes, but having retained all, and added such potential, we have delivered.

What we need to do now is develop Ntcham, Edouard and the others, win the league, perform well in the Champions League, and solidify our position as a club where outstanding talent will flourish and succeed. This is what success looks like for an economically disenfranchised giant in a highly dysfunctional industry.

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  1. leftclicktic on

    celtic by numbers on 3rd September 2017 6:40 pm

     

    Thank you for the Paddy stats and all your input.

     

    Good night all, the weemhan stays on a Sunday so it’s goodnight from me .

  4. leftclicktic on

    petec

     

    Thank you,

     

    I was playing football in the back garden with him today and as he played out the ball he was saying

     

    Gordon passes it to broonie out to Roberts on to Sinclair who shoots and scorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrres.

     

    GrandsonHappy daysCSC

     

    ps LOVE sir

  5. Jimmynotpaul on

    Bournesoupreceipe.

     

    Nice one :-)).

     

    Both of them were on sound of the 80s a couple of months ago with Sara Cox, both came across as really grounded and decent people.

     

    Sara Cox mentioned Vince had charted very highly, I think she said top 5 with 4 bands.

     

    She didn’t say who with.

     

    I got Erasure, Depeche Mode and Yazoo. I couldn’t think of the other.

     

    I had to Google the other. It was The Assembly.

     

    Hail Hail

  8. TheLurkinTim on

    BSR, hadn’t heard it for ages….still better than a lot of the p*sh that’s charting today ;-))

     

     

    Alves playing for Portugal against Hungary…..there must be a serious lack of decent defenders available to them ;-))

     

     

    H.H.

  9. petec on

    leftclicktic,

     

     

    Scottie was unreal against St J the last 30 mins.

     

     

    Celtic is absolutely Rockin’.

     

     

    Will Petec’s 5 first half goals come up much this season? :))

     

     

    Superb Celtic.

  15. Bateen Bhoy on

    France struggling to score against Luxembourg. 0-0 half time. Luxembourg have nothing ,Toulouse ;-)

     

    We’ll be hearing that Sevco’s defeat to Progres wasn’t such a bad result after all……which is probably true, given how piss poor the huns are again this year.

  18. TheLurkinTim on

    Dallas…it’s cool….I’ve just checked

     

     

    The Lions of Lisbon remaining dates this year are:

     

     

    Thu 23 Nov Ru’glen Town Hall

     

    Mon 27 Nov Òran Mór

     

     

    H.H.

  19. What is the Stars on

    Weebobbycollins

     

    Steely Dan…takes me back to my teenage disco years …

     

    However 1978 myself and 3 guys with a lump of hash and AJA on cassette drove from Dublin to Dingle for a few days

     

    Magic times

  23. Hamiltontim on

    Celtic Trust post.

     

     

    All members should have received an email about a meeting tomorrow night which all are invited to. If you’re a member who hasn’t received the email, or not but would like to get involved, please contact me at hamiltontim88@yahoo.ci.uk

  26. weebobbycollins on

    WITS…wish I had been in the back seat with you guys :-)

     

    Katie Lied-Pretzel Logic-Can’t Buy A Thrill-Aja…all mark a time in my life too…

     

    One by one my generation is leaving the planet…!968- six of us shared a big basement flat in Chiswick…only two of us are left…

  31. theBHOYfromU.N.C.L.E on

    Steely Dan……..very underrated body of work over the years,clever lyrics ,clever hooks.

  33. Hoop hoop Hooray on

    We had a physics teacher who got us all into steely dan. He hired a band he knew for our leaving disco in 1979 and the last song they played was my old school. What a way to round off the night.

  35. petec on

    G – I’d love to spend my working life working with someone like you.

     

     

    The Almighty has A FEW DOODS, that I consider to be Awesome, there.

     

     

    I need their Loving, like the Sunshine.

     

     

    You are the VERY BEST CELT.

  36. dena29 on

    petec on 3rd September 2017 9:10 pm

     

     

     

    it would be great working along side a good Tim like you in any job

     

     

    some of us are blessed indeed :-))

     

     

    HH

  38. weebobbycollins on

    Re Steely Dan…a few session guitarists played the solos on their songs, Elliot Randall, Larry Carlton, Jay Graydon…

     

    but I loved long time member Jeff Skunk Baxter’s solo on Change of the Guard… lots of guys can play it note for note-however, it’s the coming up with the idea that really counts…I mentioned a couple of nights ago to ACGR that I had a friend who could play all Zappa’s solos note for note, and really well, but it was Frank the genius who came up with those solos, his creations…btw check out his solo on Son of Orange County, for me, one of the best ever…

  41. soukous on

    Final 3 minutes of injury time in the France game not once did they put the ball in the Luxembourg box,never gave themselves a chance of scoring,very poor game.

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