The Diary forgot Channel Five existed
Someone must have sent a memo all those involved in the world of football transfers which said: “That Celtic mob have money to burn and they want to burn it on you“.
News that William Gallas and his representatives have been in touch gave me a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I last felt when I accidently turned over to Living Tv and caught Fern Britton taking about her sex life after her gastric band was fitted.
Now, like that program, if Gallas signed for us The Diary would keep watching as Gallas would improve our defence. He is not the leader that we need in that area. In fact, he is as soft as shit, doesn’t command respect – see his cringeworthy attempt at talking to the Arsenal players about a year ago- and last season only had a decent run as he was in the last year of his contract and needed to work up a bit of sweat to ensure that his representatives could be in contact with “Juventus, Malaga and Panathinaikos.”
Panathinaikos thought they had a done deal. No deal was struck because it was “difficult to reach agreement because of his (Gallas) wage demands.” What the Greeks don’t spend on their sewerage systems they have been known to pay top dollar in Dutch Auctions for fading leading lights for a season or two in the sun.
This smells of chancer or representatives trying to get a better deal elsewhere. The Diary hopes he turns up to Parkhead to find the lights off.
A player who does have the qualities we need and has been given the full tour of facilities is Sol Campbell. Hopes that he will roll up to sign and be given the custard cream and tea treatment is fading. Neil Lennon moaned that he has had “no contact with Sol or his agency since he was up at Parkhead” and we are told that “any chance of Sol Campbell joining Celtic appears to be over because of his £45,000-a-week demands”
Hopes of that Mark-E signing are fading. This mornings reading had David James facing the truth before he had stepped on the plane. “No deal will be done unless he accepts a lower salary than he has been used to in England” in a statement that will only shock people who think James Cordon is funny.
James must have read it as at 12pm we were informed that “those talks (planned for today) have been put on hold indefinitely and are unlikely to take place until later this week.” by a website that you should watch for exclusives.
The reason? It’s a well known fact that Sean Batty, Sheelagh McLaren and our CEO have wine and crackers evenings while watching the Ally McBeal box set.
With Sunderland “reluctant to match wage demands” and “unable to offer the veteran anything more than a one year deal” the feeling today is of big ambition wings being clipped.
I’m sure James will tell -in his Observer column- that his non appearance in Glasgow was due to his concerns over global warming or a plane seat being dirty.