This has been a lamentable transfer window.
I always feel, after one of these, as if we’ve all been swimming in raw sewage for months, because the outpouring of garbage is incredible to see.
Yesterday it reached the zenith with the Moussa Dembele story, even if The Sun had one last surprise for us today with this Eric Sviatchenko nonsense.
I know the hacks have a job to do, and that they need to churn out stories. I get that. But the number of them that are utter blue-sky cobblers really does get to you. Every decent Celtic player has been linked with a move down south these last few weeks. I don’t mind that the stories are there – attempts to distract Celtic and our players are as old as the club itself –but that they show so little variation and imagination can’t bode well for the writers.
I looked at the total transfer business of clubs from Scotland yesterday. We’re something like ninth overall in what we’ve done. I don’t know whether this was some kind of attempt to suggest we ought to have done more – we should have done more; I’ll get to that in a minute – but we’d have been top had we sold everyone the media was linking with a move away. For this window the fact we’ll have withstood two big bids – and for a combined total greater than what the whole of Sevco is worth; ponder that for a while – from the team at the top of the EPL should send a clear-cut message that the times they are a-changing.
I can’t speak as to how Craig Gordon feels today; a lot of hot air has been blown about over that. His agent probably wants the move, to fill his pockets one last time. If you believe The Sun big Eric’s agent is flying in today. That could be about an improved contract; that’s been rumoured for a while and would make good sense. Moussa’s agent has been categorical though; his client is headed for London for a knee scan and is coming back to Scotland. He is happy at Celtic Park. There it is. No story to speak of. We will keep our top players this window.
The attitude up here, towards players in our league, is lamentable. I just watched Thierry Henry and Jamie Redknapp talking about Dembele, and Celtic, with an appropriate level of class and respect. The two were complimentary about the player and our club and Henry was adamant that the EPL club which finally buys Moussa will have to pay the big money we are asking for. They both admitted to being stunned that no side in that league was able to secure his services in the summer and that he came to Scotland, and Henry, in particular, was clear that the kind of fee we’re talking about is what they will eventually have to fork out.
To me that ends the conversation at a stroke about what the guy is worth; the market will dictate that and there will be no shortage of interest. Even without it turning into an auction – and a £35-40 million offer is designed to stop it doing that – the fee will be massive.
But it’s in the future.
Today expect that door to close without much happening.
I don’t anticipate a single first team player leaving – there will be serious questions to answer if one does – but nor, unfortunately, do I expect a single one to come in. We completed one signing this month, and he’s probably a good one, but that was it.
Brendan gave a spiky response when asked about that, mentioning how the club had “six months to get people in”, a comment which you could take as a criticism of certain people and their performance on his behalf or expressing frustration at how other clubs have been intransigent, but it’s clear he has not got in the players he hoped and perhaps even expected.
This is the usual transfer window lament; we didn’t do enough.
I think this time we’re a little easier to please because things on the park are going so well, but I can’t help thinking that an opportunity to hit the ground running in the qualifiers next year would have been much easier with some deals in the bag.
Especially when we all already know we face a summer of this “Moussa to …” nonsense all over again.
With all that said, the days when we made transfer window panic buys are hopefully over and done with.
If we have specific targets and their clubs decided not to sell then it’s better to wait for the summer than rush out and get someone in “just because.”
This club is in a good place right now, but these windows always leave you feeling whiplashed.
I am glad it’s nearly over.