We’re getting to that time of the transfer window when clubs with money and who are either underperforming, or who have silverware in sight, often make desperate decisions.
It is a remarkable statement of the times that three Celtic first team players have attracted interest from English Premier League clubs, at valuations that a year ago would appear eye-watering. It’s just as remarkable that we’ve not locked the suitors in a room until they emptied their wallets.
Seven months into the season, five credible Champions League performances and 27 peerless games in domestic football and our 34-year-old goalkeeper attracts a higher bid than would be achievable by any player at a Scottish club other than Celtic.
Not that I’m agreeing with all this ‘What we have we hold’ business. Every playing asset has a price, to borrow a regular CQN phrase from 2005.
I hear Peter Lawwell was spotted earlier buying tickets for tonight’s showing of T2 Trainspotting for himself, Brendan, Craig, Erik and Moussa. “Unreal” wage offers can turn a player’s head. Better get them to the movies with their phones switched off.
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BROGAN ROGAN TREVINO AND HOGAN on 31ST JANUARY 2017 1:07 PM
A wee reminder that you can get tickets for the unique Nir Bitton signed shirt with The Celtic Foundation Crest here:
http://www.ebid.net/uk/for-sale/matchworn-signed-celtic-shirt-with-celtic-charity-foundation-logo-nir-bitton-153619704.htm
Only 99 tickets and each £19:67 goes a long way to feeding the 265 kids of the VOA1 academy in Liberia and funding the ongoing initiatives of the Celtic Charity Foundation.
Please buy one if you can.
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BRTH, it could well be that I’m dumber than even I thought, but I cannot get eBid to accept my registration, so cannot join in the raffle. If you can let me know of another way to pay, please let me know, either on here, or through Paul.
HH
KIERAN GILL: Asmir Begovic is set to stay at Stamford Bridge because Chelsea know they will not be getting Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Antonio Conte wanted to sign a replacement before sanctioning the £10m sale of Begovic to Bournemouth.
It has not worked out, despite Begovic wanting to leave for first-team football as he is currently second-choice to Thibaut Courtois at Chelsea.
Begovic is currently with the squad in Merseyside ahead of their game against Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Like Begovic, it is understood Gordon was not interested in playing second fiddle to Courtois and is glad to stay at Celtic.
Sevco galactico Joe Garner has apparently made his move into second in the queue for a scan at the ole A&E.
The Scottish Transfer Window rules
o On the stroke of midnight tonight the transfer window in Scotland will close…with a few exceptions.
o After this time only players who are out of contract are eligible to sign for any club in Scotland.
o No cross-border loans are allowed to any Scottish club after midnight.
o Prior to midnight there are no restrictions as to the number of loan players a club can sign from outwith Scotland.
o The maximum number of domestic loans by one club in a season is five. Of these only two can be over the age of 21 but they cannot be signed during the same period.
o Any loans to a Premiership club must be completed by midnight.
o Clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two are permitted to sign emergency loans (from within Scotland) after the window closes.
o The emergency loan period must last for a minimum of 28 days and a maximum of 93.
Of course other countries transfer windows close later than Scotland which means we cannot sign any more players but can lose them abroad.
8 hrs 40 mins and counting .. Tic Talk, Tic Talk …
EMDAE AWAY???
Bobby Murdoch, sorry for the delay getting back to you.
I thought that article on Celtic Underground about Pat’s debut would be to your liking.
St Anthony on Celtic Underground did a podcast with Pat Stanton last year and is a good listen if you haven’t already heard it.
I’m glad we got the chance to see him in the hoops even though it turned for one season only but what a season it was.
North Cyprus (formerly Baku) Bhoy on 31st January 2017 3:06 pm
E-mail me at jjoe88@hotmail.co.uk and I will sort that.
Cheers
BRTH
..
Chelsea State they Wernae Really interested in Moussa or Craig..
Night Night..
Summa
It’d be worthwhile to get Ciftci, Ambrose and Kris Commons out the door today.
I’ve seen moaning from the usual uninformed malcontent. When’s James McCarthy’s medical?
Gary67 on 31st January 2017 2:08 pm
Electronic Tims @ETimsNet · 18m
Henry Onyekuru. Fair bit of negotiations with various reps. Lots still to be done. Still a chance he’ll be a Celt tonight
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Hopefully there will at least be a fee agreed with the club.
If they see us getting 34m for Moussa we’ll end up in an Andy Carroll situation!
If Chelsea are willing to spend 25-40 million on Dembele then surely PL can get some team in China to round that up to a nice 100 million? :)
He could earn a couple of billion over there and still be back to play for Zidane before he’s 25.
Jude
No except young Jamie McCart away to ICT on loan till end of season
Interesting comment in the Etims tweet
“Henry Onyekuru. Fair bit of negotiations with various reps. Lots still to be done. Still a chance he’ll be a Celt tonight”
“Various Reps”
Compare this with the ESPN article
http://www.espnfc.com/story/3046335/celtic-and-rb-leipzig-eye-nigerian-henry-onyekuru-sources
“he is unhappy that a director of the club is pushing him to sign for a favoured agent.”
____
Maybe he has caved and signed with the favoured agent? Maybe Celtic are discussing things with multiple agents?
..
POP UP ADS ON ADBLOCKER
Off Oot
Philbhoy
Cheers.
Kit
I agree hence the request of Sandman for official confirmation of Co debt if it exists.
You could add to the debt the preferential shared held by DD’s company which he makes in the region of £0.5m annually a rate if about 6% dividend payment on around £9m which he could I suppose sell back to club at any given time of his choosing. The nature of PLC’s shares and shareholders across the board but if someone is of a mind they could attempt to call this a debt. :@-)))
These type of shares are usually held in perpetuity until sold on for profit and were likely The Bunnets before DD’s or created in a later share issue.
MWD
kitalba on 31st January 2017 2:37 pm
SANDMAN on 31ST JANUARY 2017 2:07 PM
I thought that amount you mentioned was a loan facility. Are yo sure we owe the Co-op that much? 19 million?
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MoonbeamsWD on 31st January 2017 2:48 pm
Sandman. Can you confirm that £19m figure with something official?
MWD
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As far as I had in mind, after a cursory appraisal of the accounts a couple of years ago – we had in place, sinc eFegus’ days asecured borrowing with the Co-op that should currently be circa 19 million, to be repaid by 2019 (25 years since takeover) – hence the tranches of millions becoming due in the next 3 years.
And we also had an overdraft facility of around 10 million, but no idea if we’re into that or whether the cash rich situation of some 3.5 million on last accounts makes accomodation for it.
Those were numbers off the top of my head regards our total indebtedness, always kept them in mind for putting raving Huns trying to play debt whataboutery in place. No doubt somebody can clarify in more detail.
MAGNIFICENTSEVEN. I dont think we need a permit for the player as he is coming from a EU country to another EU country he qualifies under EU law for freedom of movement. H.H.
Sandman:
It was a 19 million facility which we only borrowed the minimum from to have the funds available if required, They weren’t.
MOONBEAMSWD on 31ST JANUARY 2017 3:52 PM
IIRC Celtic have borrowing facility of around £19M with to Co-op; this needs to be at a minimum of around £7M to get the preferential rate and is usually kept around this level. The debt is secure against Celtic Park and surrounding land and is due to be repaid or restructured in 2019.
So the level is around £7M at this time (or at the time of the accounts). All in all, a manageable debt for Celtic.
KTF
Why is midnight taking so long. :-)
Sandman
Cheers. Be good if one of the accounting Bhoys could clarify.
I’d be pissed if selling DB was going to be just as a means to pay off this sort of thing if it exists. IMO more important we keep him and he helps us qualify for CL groups to manage affordability of a loan such as this. It would also paint a wee bit of a darker pic of The Bunnet in my eyes leaving a debt like that hanging over the club if it does exists. If if if I know but if?!
MWD
Cheers VFR
That is around my understanding of the structure of COOP OD.
MWD
From the 2016 Annual Report:
Of the available bank facilities of £18.7m (2015: £19.6m), of which £13.7m is represented by long-term loans and £5.0m by RCF, £11.85m (2015: £12.55m) remains undrawn at the balance sheet date.
So it’s £6.85 that is owed to the Co-op and this is roughly the level required to keep the preferential borrowing rates.
KTF
That’s £6.85M, not £6.85!
KTF
MUNGOLIAN BHOY on 31ST JANUARY 2017 12:34 PM
Good morning from what I presume to be the other edge of the Pacific from you- Hermosa Beach, Los Angeles.
Sitting in an old cottage that has been converted to a coffee shop, enjoy an early morning espresso.
Wearing my raggedy Sutton jersey, and had many favorable comments, not least of which was a beach blonde supermodel mum with 2 kids, who is certainly taller than 95.5% of any Celtic striker. She informed me that her husband “takes in interest” in the Hoops after attending a pre-season game versus the Seattle Sounders years ago and being amazed at our support.
VFR800
Easy mistake to make, the Huns get it mixed up all the time when they talk transfers.
HH.
I’d sell Moussa if every penny earned from deal was given to Brendan to strengthen positions he feels need strengthened with players he wants. If cash just going to hang around and be bean accounted then No thanks I’d rather have the player.
MWD
The interesting thing for me is when Moussa goes, whether it’s tonight or in the summer, whether the fee attracted and that one of the “super clubs” (sic) has purchased from us, not a Southampton or Swansea, will change the level of development transient player we can attract.
Will guys who saw a Hull or Middlesboro’ as a better option now be willing to come here for less money, for 18 to 24 months, to develop and get that move?
The club need to handle the players correctly. If you treat the players well, the steamie of the football world, will know that Celtic is a good place to work and do business.
It’s modern way and in some ways sums up that modern football is rubbish.
MWD,
Moussa will eventually go, but hopefully not now. It’s too early.
It’s not yet time, but it’s trending big style. Come quick midnight.
HH.
GREENPINATA on 31ST JANUARY 2017 4:22 PM
Precisely; wee bazza is going for £6 and Garner only actually cost £2.80!
KTF
Chelsea reps in a convoy of black Range Rovers with blacked oot windaes currently following Moussa’s car roon London…
THINDIMEBHOY on 31ST JANUARY 2017 10:17 AM
Could someone recommend me an employment lawyer ?
Don’t know if you’ve had any help but….
Margaret Gribbon Bridge Litigation – She’s one of our own…
HH
MOONBEAMS WD40
The problem for Celtic will actually be too much revenue if we get £40M in for Dembele and don’t spend a good portion of it; I believe that it would be come liable for taxation in some way if it just sat in the bank.
KTF
MWD- If we got £30 mil for MD, we don’t need to spend it all by giving it to Brendan IMO , for primarily Scottish football.I think if he got about £15 mil to get us 3-4 quality players, the 10 will be secure, and could hopefully improve as a CL club.I would like to see investment in fans facilities inside and outside CP with the rest.A families Fan Park like the Man City model is required.The old school area is a car park for the fat cats, and doesn’t look like changing anytime soon, so much for a Museum,cafe etc.HH
Summa-12:59.sitting in a bar Tenerife catching up and that made me laugh out loud-:)))after having to read all the trump stuff especially
VFR- Given what i just posted, i think if BR wanted a guy who would cost up to around £7-8 mil, i think we would spend it.HH
London Standard tonight ( complete with colour pic of Moussa in hoops ) suggesting Chelsea will have to wait till the summer for their £40m Celtic centre forward however they are desperate and have £70m funds available post Oscar sale. They admit Celtic have no financial need to sell him or Gordon however they don’t explain what would be different in the summer ( Celtic will be attempting to qualify for CL so that is the very point when the not for sale Board goes up).
If Chelsea actually pitched up with £40m now I would take it because he will go and will his value increase? That is a tough call. Wouldn’t blame anyone if we took the cash. This case is such an extraordinary outlier to our strategic approach although ( as a fan ) I want the best possible team on the park.
garcia lorca on 31st January 2017 4:40 pm
and may ramp things up for future transfers…tough call.
HH