The transfer window has been closed a week, and since then rather a lot has happened.
Regan quit. Sevco got caught in their own lie over Morelos. Celtic lost at Kilmarnock and the Ibrox club were beaten by Lenny’s team at Hibs. We had new players to bed in and others got injured. Again. It’s been a busy time, and in that time some things have slipped by.
One of them is a curious story that didn’t get much attention; it was the story of how Manchester City offered Patrick Roberts to Leicester as a makeweight in a proposed deal with Leicester City over their Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez.
There are two versions of this tale, one doing the rounds in Scotland and one which has common currency in England. In the Scottish version, Leicester wanted him and City would not sanction that, as they want to make a decision on him in the summer.
I believe that to be highly unlikely. The signing of Mahrez would have all but obliterated Roberts’ chances of breaking into the team. They play in the same position, and it’s a position where City have no shortage of options as it is.
The English version is that City offered him as part of the deal, or Leicester asked for him, and whilst both parties were happy enough with that, Leicester nevertheless demanded more in overall terms for the transfer than City were willing to pay. The Midlands club value Mahrez at around £90 million … which even City balked at.
I think that story is far more likely to be true. So does the English media.
I’m guessing that he wouldn’t have gone right away – the loan deal we have would have scuppered that – but had that bid been accepted, he would no longer be a Manchester City player. That much is readily apparent.
It is fair to say that had Mahrez signed, Patrick Roberts’ time at the Etihad would be at an end. City want to resurrect that deal in the summer; even if they don’t, it’s clear that they will spend money on that part of the team … and that means Roberts is no longer in their thinking.
If the club was willing to trade him away then it’s over, and he forms no part of their long-term plans. This is clearly going to be a blow to him, but it’s one he has had a week to process and now he has a massive decision to make about where he wants to go from here.
Roberts is a top footballer, a player who is quite possibly a generational talent. He has not soared to those heights since returning to our club at the start of this campaign, and injury has blighted his time here, but we all know what we’ve got on our hands until the end of this season. Keeping him should most definitely be on our agenda.
The issue will be the asking price; City can command a huge fee for him if they sell him to another English club, but we have money and can certainly tempt them. We can also point to our excellent record in selling players on later for big profits; a decent sell-on clause could make them even more than they might get in the initial deal.
I suspect we could do business with them on the player, especially if Roberts himself shows a willingness to come here and digs in his heels over it. Although we’ve been poor this season, Brendan’s long-term vision is still rolling out.
If he can sell Roberts on that – and let’s face it, he has been able to do it so far – we may yet get this done. What’s clear is that a story we might have thought was over with may just have been resurrected.
If it’s true that City no longer wants him, he should go somewhere he knows people do.
Where better than Celtic Park?
Join the best Celtic Facebook Group there is right here.
Like our Facebook page and comment on and share the articles by clicking here.
You can also follow us on Twitter at @The_Celtic_Blog