A year after trying and failing to sign him from Lech Poznan, Celtic have secured the services of Aleksandar Tonev from Aston Villa. Tonev has blistering pace, a right footer who is usually used on the left, he is an archetypal counter-attacking player.
The player’s profile blossomed during the first six months of 2013, in particular after he scored a hat-trick for Bulgaria against Malta, which brought Villa and Celtic to the table. The step-up to the English Premier League from playing a speciality role for Poznan was, not surprisingly, too much.
Aleksandar plays the same position as Georgios Samaras, albeit he’s a completely different type of player, but we will look to him to do the same job – be an out ball away from home in Europe.
Ronny will have seen him only from DVDs, so he’ll be keen to get him onto the pitch tomorrow morning for a run-out ahead of St Johnstone. Let’s hope the manager likes what he sees…. It’s a worry. The most promising part of deal is that Aleksandar has a point to prove, I’d rather hungry players with a point to prove than those who’ve too much on the clock.
Welcome to Celtic, Aleks.
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Tommy Joad: wonderful to hear of the progress that your dad has made. Along with so many others on here, I will keep the prayers going for him, especially at morning Mass. Look after yourself also.
Marty
All negotiations would be carried out through open letters
Warsaw would demand Celtic show true values
The sharp dressed man would then offer 300k
doc
22:15 on 11 August, 2014
BSR, and here I am:-))))))))
—–
CQN’s Stephen Hawkins has landed!
GoOnYerselSmartBhoy!
HH jamesgang
Interesting comment re Tonev from P67
Who signed all the duds last summer then?
Who is signing players now
This panto must stop ..why is it necessary to hoard as much cash …are ST sales worse than suggested
Tommy Joad
I mentioned all the love and prayers that my Mum’s been receiving from all the hairy ar8ed Tims on here and how special that can be.
You know that. I know.
HH pal. Jamesgang
Tommy Joad,
can I add my name to the list of those wishing
your dad a speedy recovery,prayer will be said for him tonight
Burnley 78- I replied to you the other night,names I gave included Bryson,Martin and Forsyth from Derby County and May from St J and McGinn from St Mirren. HH..
Weefra
Hope you and the other beasties are all ok!
KTF. HH jamesgang
Another loan signing,that will cure the shambles we seen at Murrayfield last week , I think RD is getting hung out to dry and getting the dregs of Park’s 2 year old signing “targets”. Why are we paying Season Ticket money ? To see no improvement in what we are watching ? I seen Lawwell and the suits getting pelters last week, they deserve it.The planting of seeds in the press also has the political spin about it, let’s say the guy who scored 32 goals last season is slow and old,guys sign upto it and then the blogs that Lawwell and Co use ,start the trickle of pi$#,yeah lets take a million for him,yeah let’s chase him as we can’t sell him next year,yeah lets sell him as as slow as a week in the jail,yeah let’s sell him…*fill in another 10 bloggers lines*,a week later guys will post ” that was great business getting rid of Commons,thought he was overrated myself……” blah blah blah.I posted a couple of weeks ago it would be ironic if wee Fergus got cheered to the rafters on Saturday,and Lawwell got dog’s abuse, if Lawwell steps on the park it will happen. Keep quiet bhoys ,there will be jam tomorrow.
doc
Will keep you posted, and tell the kids the calves will be fine,(once their born). Wee souls. :-)))
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
TJ- best wishes mate HH
https://twitter.com/celticfc/status/498914849070809088
Tonev
So if only the manager can sign new players and the new manager gets the chop early. What do we do with his signings.
Do we sell them all off at the next transfer window and let the next manager buy a whole new bunch.
How about the club having an overriding strategy. With input from manager and backroom staff jointly pushing that strategy.
I dont think Im alone in this but I really could not give a fiddlers f who signs the players as long as we bring in some quality.
Too many are bitching for the sake of bitching
Celtic swoop for Man City youngster. Deets in tomorrow’s @Daily_Record
HT @ 22.18
Good
Tonev will indeed be an out ball in Europe.
If his performances at Villa are anything to go by then his frequent pointless shots will be out balls……
Shots into the Old Dead Rangers end goals will end up as out balls on the Springfield Vaults roof.
Shots into the old Celtic end goals will end up as out balls on whatever roof now occupies the old Sunblest Bakery in Stamford Street……
Prove me wrong Aleks……..please do son……
Gordybhoy
Like you I have never bet against Celtic
Was really tempted to back Legia at 9/2 and Legia -1 at 14/1
However I just couldnt brinh myself to doit
St.Johnstone at 6/1 is very tempting
gordybhoy64
22:18 on 11 August, 2014
TCR,
no mucker still standing,last I seen it was advertised for sale with planning
permission agreed for flats,how is Pat coping without it,
asked you last night but you and DD were ignoring me
…….
Sorry comrade.Too much sauce last night.
He’s down in Chandlers now.
The Whitecrook Tims will look after him
….pfayr supports weeoscar
22:25 on 11 August, 2014
A little look at the acoounts will let you see that we are not hoarding cash……one or two wee loans on the go
This was from Lenny.
” He { Lenny } Understands the club’s approach but doesn’t stop him being very frustrated by it. Had two meetings with Desmond over recent weeks. The first in London quite frosty – Desmond not overly happy with this season, Lenny response: “to be fair Dermot, you sold all my best players and brought in shite”.
Now I care not if you don’t believe it or not, the evidence that the manager is a coach and no more has been reiterated by Paul with his new blog.
JP scouts the players, PL signs them, the manager coaches them, end of.
This is the policy, this is how things are, this is now, gone are the days of the manager manages, the club have come into the modern world, the same world that the top clubs are working in, where we are emulating them, albeit picking up the crumbs, tis reality.
HH
jamesgang
We are all fine, thanks for asking. This weather is unbelievable, really upsetting the livestock as most of them are inside for the winter, some of them think we have disowned them. Hahaha. A bit thick some of them. :-)))
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
G67- hope it’s another loan signing….
PF
Oh no they’re not.
!!bada bing!!
22:27 on 11 August, 2014
———/
Been watching that very story being spun re: KC – scunnered if true.
HH
BGFC
67 heaven
I await the next set of accounts ….we can reconsider things then
Do we have money problems?
What else can explain such lack of ambition?
P67- to be clear, this has been a season long chase for Tonev by the club ,but not the current manager ?
JamesGang, I am flattered by the comparison, but see myself more of a Gerhard Buess type genius.
jamesgang
Meant to say, see ye saturday. :-)))
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
!!bada bing!!
22:32 on 11 August, 2014
G67- hope it’s another loan signing….
Or we are willing to pay the £4.5m asking price for John Guidetti. Aye yer right, another loan deal it is!!!
They should be chasing some chancers out the club
JamesGang, Buess invented some of the kit I sell, met him a couple of times.
Real genius, invented some life saving stuff.
!!bada bing!!
22:33 on 11 August, 2014
Pukki was a three year chase by the club. We were after him when Mowbray was manager.
A new manager needs time and finance to sign players and make a team his own.
Gordon Strachan signed 7 players in the summer of 2005 (1 free transfer, 2 loans, 4 players bought at a total cost of £6.7 million. One of the loan signings – Boruc – crystallised into a permanent signing bringing the total transfer fee spend to £7.6 million).
He signed a further 4 players in Jan 2006 – 2 free transfers, 1 loan plus Mark Wilson at £500,000.
So in his first year GS received financial support to bring in 11 new players, total transfer fees spent £8.1 million. (We did not receive a penny in player sales this year although the wage bill was reduced with Sutton, Lambert, Valgaeren etc leaving)
Of the 11 players signed, 6 were out of the picture or gone by the end of the season (Du Wei, Virgo, Aliadiere, Camara, Keane, Dublin)
In other words 55.5% of Gordon Strachan`s signings in his first year were either failures or in the case of Dublin and Keane short term signings to add experience.
Neil Lennon signed 11 players in summer 2010 (4 free transfers, 1 loan, 6 outright purchases costing a total of £9.2 million).
NL signed a further 3 players in January 2011 (1 free, 2 outright purchases costing a total of £400,000).
So in his first year in charge NL received financial support to sign 14 players at a total transfer fee cost of £9.6 million.
Incoming transfer fee income from the sales of Boruc, McGeady, McManus and various fringe players totalled £15.9 million.
Of the 14 players signed, 3 were out of the picture, sold or released by the end of the season (Juarez, Murphy, Ljungberg. Accounts for 22% of signings made).
So far Ronny Deila has taken in £11.2 million in transfer fees and not spent a penny on incoming transfers which total 2 loans and 1 free transfer.
The Strachan and Lennon years tell us that a minimum of 10 players are signed by a new Celtic manager in their first year and that anything between 20-55% of these players will not last at the club beyond the first year.
I would expect given the level of support given to previous managers that the majority of the income generated by the Forster and Watt sales will be given to the manager for new signings. I would also expect that not every signing will be a success.
I don`t think its unreasonable to expect another 4 players in before 31 August and maybe a couple of other players heading out the door too.
Bada,
From earlier,
Craig Bryson would be an excellent signing for us.
Strong as a bull,with an eye for a goal and well within our range
WeeFra, also just seen tomorrow’s forecast, not a day for the farm.
If it dries up we can re schedule.
TCR,
I thought Pat would become a Cleddans man,too far a trek down to Chandlers
Nicky Powell,there’s another we could sign.
Dario Gradi said he was the best young player ever he had seen
And he knows a player