For Celtic, summertime business is every bit as important as the more traditional cup finals and league deciders held later in the season. We face qualifers for Champions League or Europa League group stage, which define our financial health and desirability as a potential employer.
The most important achievement was recorded on Wednesday when we qualified for the Champions League, but now we’re there, how prepared will we be?
Seven players left the squad, Daryl Murphy, who had already spent two years out on loan, Thomas Rogne and Paddy McCourt, who rarely saw first team action last season, and Tony Watt, who seems to be less effective than he was in the opening weeks of last season, and is now out on loan.
More importantly, Gary Hooper, Kevlin Wilson and Victor Wanyama all left, three players who were instrumental in our European victories last season.
Hooper is a textbook big game player who scored home and away against Spartak Moscow but he missed the home win over Barcelona and scarcely got a sniff of the ball home and away to Benfica, or in the Camp Nou, where his role as a penalty box poacher was less effective.
Kelvin Wilson had a disappointing first season at Celtic but as last season progressed there was a noticeable rise in appreciation of his talents. He had an exemplary Champions League campaign.
Victor Wanyama was the most effective central midfield player Celtic have had for some considerable time. We saw little of Roy Keane at Celtic but in Wanyama, you could see a player with the potential to go as far in the game. He is young and still has lots to add to his game, concentration, for a start, but we saw him grow from a place on the substitutes’ bench to a £12m player in 18 months.
It surprised a few that Victor (along with Gary) went to a team often found at the wrong end of England’s top flight, but he is still potential. The acclaim he received at Celtic is similar to that bestowed on Liam Miller nine years ago, whose Champions League performances were breath-taking. I still can’t fathom what happened to Miller but I hope Victor continues to improve; if he does, he could appear in the Camp Nou as a home player.
21-year-old Israeli central midfielder Nir Biton looks like a straight replacement for Wanyama. I don’t know enough about any of the new recruits yet to put my name to them but on paper, Nir works. At 6’5” he continues our current tradition of signing players born to shoot hoops, as well as wear them. A trial at Manchester City fell apart amid a diplomatic incident involving his nationality. He was going to make a move to a Champions League team at some point and, for the player, Celtic will look like an excellent option.
There was a moment during THAT game at Fir Park in 2005 when Craig Bellamy tore up the turf with the ball before looking up for someone to accept his cross, only to throw his arms up in frustration that there was no one in the box. Having one fast player is just not effective.
We’ve had pace-merchant James Forrest for a few years but we don’t play a speed-based game to suit his talents. With fellow-sprinter Derk Boerrigter also in the team now one of the things I know Celtic were looking for in a striker was pace, which is what I expect to see from Teemu Pukki.
Much of our Champions League game will be about playing counter-attacking football so we have to recruit for this model.
Teemu has been playing a supporting role for Schalke since they played against him, then signed him, from HJK Helsinki two years ago, but we have not had a striker who could claim a regular starting place in that company in nine years. He is another one who, on paper, works for me.
Amido Balde has been given some protection from too much responsibility and exposure to allow him to settle into the club, city and language, Celtic is a lot different from Vitoria Guimaraes. I heard that, like Wanyama during his first season, he’ll be allowed to settle into life as a Celtic player.
Virgil van Dijk was simply delicious against Dundee United yesterday. He has height, build, speed, can run with the ball and can pass. Build a defence around him. Steven Mouyokolo is one of those gambles managers like to take on players, who were once lauded but have had injury or other blemishes on their record. Most don’t work but we’ll soon find out if Steven has overcome his injury problems.
Derk Boerrigter has skill and pace. He is another one recruited with Champions League football in mind (not to face 10 defenders in the SP), a competition he has already performed well in for Ajax.
The comment was made to me that the players coming in were uninspiring compared to the three key players who left but while I could contest that, there doesn’t seem much point. We recruited Hooper and Wilson from the lower leagues in England, and Wanyama as a teenager from a small Belgian club. It’s not what you know about a player when he signs that counts……..
For years we have been encouraging Celtic to scout better markets and find value. They have been doing this to great effect in recent seasons. The gap between where we were last season and one stage further in the Champions League was enormous. To bridge it will take a while during which time we need to make every pound work.
Enjoy the ride.
Tomorrow we’ll talk money. In short, while I blogged a couple of weeks ago illustrating the circa £17m operational gap we have before Champions League or player trading income (i.e. we are not a rich club), notions that we are anywhere near being a poor club is laughable.
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WOOFT,I checked out a wee bit of that Sevco Soldiers day parade, cringeworthy to say the least, very embarrassing for Brittish forces for that MOB they had on that park in the memory of fallen comrades, I think that after that pantomime , UK head of forces said that it would never happen AGAIN, why was it allowed to happen at all?
“They had a fantastic result in midweek which brought them in a right few quid, so the price for Lee was going to rise a bit”.
Barry Fry’s comments show why our transfer ‘strategy’ is skewed.
Forward planning are 2 words not to be found in our transfer dictionary.
What about Hitlsperger for left back ?
Petric, Dindane and Aghahowa ???
Ten Men,
Few tidy free agents out there.
The Spirit Of Arthur Lee 09:23 on 2 September, 2013
Where did you get that?
Very well written. Ticks all the boxes.
WGS
Most of the players mentioned will be looking at a signing-on fee and wages which don’t fit our strategy.
Interesting to see James McCarthy linked with a £12.5m move to Everton.
Good luck,son. You’ve done well down there.
starry,weefra,tally,stay strong my celtic brothers,prayers said for you and yours,take care bhoys,i love Glasgow celtic
Celtic_First
Any ‘smart’ hotel in Italy that serves instant coffee should be ‘instantly’ named and shamed!
See what I did there?!
HH!!
Steinreignedsupreme
Sky
Bobby Murdoch,
Manager stated he would like a bit of experience especially a goalscorer.
STEINREIGNEDSUPREME.
Does it look familiar,haha?!
Bob Malcom, hehehe
WGS
I agree,but PL will expect “free” agents to be just that…
Sure if we gave Petric a deal similar to Mokoluyoko he’d be up for it.
CL football as well. You want goals, this guy will give you them in ambundance
Petrochemical, Croat ?
A few old points about the five-way agreement (I know it’s going over old ground, but it’s the subject of a lot of chatter in Celtic cyberspace again).
1. Rangers are one of the five.
2. Sevco are another one of the five.
3. The SFA, the SPL and the SFL make up the numbers.
At this time, Rangers had not yet gone into liquidation. Rangers entered liquidation in October 2012. This document pre-dates that by months. They were rushing to get it all done by August 3, 2012 for the start of the SPL, with Dundee and Ross County both coming up from the SFL. Sevco’s first match was on Sunday, July 29 2012, away to Brechin in the Ramsden.
The plan was to have the phoenix club play in the SPL. Fans blocked that. Sevco were not permitted to take Rangers’ place. That was given to Dundee. Sevco were given a place in the SFL. Pretence that Sevco was Rangers began immediately, but Rangers, remember, were still in existence. They couldn’t both be Rangers.
Petric
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS forza Oscar and Mackenzie 09:36 on 2 September, 2013
I trust you had a good day out with the Zombies last week?
Over all Im happy with the transfer window as we are in the last 16 which is beyond what we can reasonably expect IMO. Anything from here on in is a bonus.
I’m still a little confused by the treatment of Tony Watts?
4 million bid from Wigan for Beram Kayal if McCarthy goes
Tallybhoy
Maybe I was just very unlucky. On two successive mornings, in two otherwise very attractive properties in Savona and Brescia, both run by the NH hotel chain, the coffee at breakfast came from a machine into which a lassie had poured Nescafé powder.
Last 16 ?
Tom McLaughlin
07:46 on
2 September, 2013
starry plough –
Thoughts and prayers for your mum.
weefrathetim –
I just caught your news belatedly on Sunday night. Similarly, your mother is in my thoughts and prayers.
Tallybhoy –
Best wishes to your father for a speedy recovery
Just reading back over posts. Tom well said that covers it perfectly
WGS 09:43 on 2 September, 2013
We will not have to speculate about Wigan moving for any of our players – the shy and retiring Dave Whelan will have plenty to say about it through the usual channels.
STEINREIGNEDSUPREME
Must have done-I felt like one the next day!
I was the only fella in our group not kicked out the pub on Saturday night-and the only one who could remember it come Sunday morning,haha.
Buncha lightweights. Good laugh though.
None of them were causing any trouble,btw. Just struggling to stand!
Strange place,Bath. Three pubs within fifty yards of each other and prices of £2.50,£3.70 and £4.60 a pint. We pigged out on the cheap stuff. Of course.
There will be no one leaving whom Neil Lennon will be reliant on over the next 4 months.
If that happened it would make a mockery of our ‘team building’ project.
By the end of the day I think we will be reading and hearing that Stokes moved the ball nearly back to the half way line!
From Twitter.
For the benefit of doubt, Sevco Scotland played Brechin City before the “Rangers club” was “transferred” to them . New club slam dunk.
Section 2.6 of the 5 way agreement “the transfer of the RFCMembership to Sevco is wholly suspensive and conditional on the transfer of the..
RFC Share to Dundee FC being registered by the SPL no later than midnight on 3rd August”. The Brechin game was played before this.
CultsBhoy loves being 1st forever & ever 09:42 on 2 September, 2013
The loan move for Tony Watt is a great opportunity for the Bhoy.
Tony has the chance to play regular football on the continent and develop his career.
A year away from the west of Scotland goldfish bowl could be the making of him.
Starry stay strong mate the bhoys are here for you.
Cultsbhoy
Maybe Lenny and the rest of the management team feel big Tony needs some manners put on him.
A wee spell away from the Glesca fleshpots might help focus his mind
If not ….it will be a terrible waste of talent
Pubs of this land are full of guys who coulda been contenders, but not many scored a winning goal v Barca in a CL match
It’s all a bit sad really and I hope he can prove them wrong
HH
soukous 09:50 on 2 September, 2013
“By the end of the day I think we will be reading and hearing that Stokes moved the ball nearly back to the half way line!”
Did you see that free-kick Anto Stokes scored from Dens Park on Saturday?
Gordon Dalziel said the stokes free kick was a throw in :(
Reckon that free agent list might get used if Kayal goes.
While we’re at it- what about that Nakamura free kick at Love St? Pyoor disgrace btw.
Very best of luck to Tony Watt on his loan move to Lierse.
Disappointed – but not surprised – to see him go.
Could be the making of him – hopefully.
Lier is a small town -population of about 35,000, but according to Wiki is a regional entertainment centre with several nightclubs and over 70 bars!
Hope Lierse have lined up a minder for the bhoy!
HH!!
celtic_first
08:55 on 2 September, 2013
@bhoyeddie
celtic_first
08:55 on 2 September, 2013
I’ll post the username’s from now on mate.
Last time I did someone blocked me on twitter :(