Celtic’s transfer plans have been radically altered by the events of yesterday, both in a good way and in a bad one.
The bad is obvious. We’ve drawn Manchester City.
Talks that had been ongoing about bringing in one of their top players on loan have to be considered somewhat wasted. I would think it unlikely they’d allow us to take a second footballer on loan to their club knowing that UEFA regulations would permit that player to take the field against them.
Celtic could give a gentlemen’s agreement not to include any new loanee in the side against them, but that would be self-defeating. The aim of the game here is to win these matches, as unlikely as many believe that is. To bring in a class player and then leave him out of them … madness. It’s not going to happen. So unless City feel in a kamikaze mood, I doubt we’re going to get any business done with them, especially for the player I’d heard we were talking about; one Samir Nasri, who’s now almost certain to end up in Turkey for a year, if the two clubs can agree on City’s wage contribution, with the player pointedly refusing to take a salary cut.
But thankfully City were never the only club we were in discussions with. Everyone knows we’ve been talking to Everton about McCarthy but our scouts were also in Portugal earlier in the week, watching Benfica, although talk that we were looking at Eduardo Salvio, who Rodgers wanted to sign when he was at Anfield, appear to be well wide of the mark. He’s just signed a new two year deal with them, but the club would be willing to do business, but not for any sum we’ve got the remotest chance of being willing to pay.
Besides, he’s a winger and that’s an area of the field we appear to have well covered. Nasri would have been one thing; he’d have been coming on a free. I very much doubt we’d spend the better part of the transfer budget on a wide man when we need a right back and the holding midfielder we’ve been crying out for.
For all that, our scouts were definitely at their game, so there’s interest there in somebody. Whether it’ll go anywhere remains to be seen.
Yet there has been a positive element to the draw.
The cash we’ll make from such a group is enough that there’s more money in the pot than before. In addition to that, there’s been a perverse benefit from Brexit and the collapse of the exchange rate. European football revenues are paid in Euros; we stand to make an extra £2.5 – £3 million as a result of that … so there’s actually more in the kitty than there otherwise might have been.
The next couple of days are going to be intriguing, as we move into the final stage of the window. There’s little doubt there will be movement both into and out of Celtic Park; Stefan Johansen is leaving, for sure, and I expect a couple more to follow him.
The question as to who’s coming in is the one we’ll all want to see answered.
The plan has changed.
But there is still a plan.
In Brendan We Trust.
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