It is tempting, at times, to read the runes and see what you want to see.
It is tempting to look for signs and signals of what you hope for, rather than looking, without passion, at what actually is in the here and now. And so I may be over-thinking it, but if I am then I am comforted by the knowledge that I’m not the only one who is.
David Hay is a Celtic ambassador.
We cannot say that every word that comes out of his mouth offers us insight into goings on at the club, but one would imagine he’s better informed that a lot of us are. When he says he thinks Dembele will still be at Celtic beyond the summer I take that seriously.
I take notice, and hopefully not just because I’m seeing what I want to.
Hay’s comments might just be a nod and wink. “The received wisdom has been that two years is long enough for him before he heads back south of the border,” he said. “But my own feeling is that the striker will stay at the club for another season.”
And if that’s true Celtic fans would be over the moon, and especially if we put him on a new deal and got him to commit for another year after that. It would bring us almost the full way to the Magic Number. The big money we’d get for him would give us the latitude to spend serious cash – if we needed to – to assure we got over the line and built for what’s beyond it.
Moussa wasn’t at his best last season, but as we got towards the climax he hit his stride again. His goal at Ibrox set us on our way that day. He has a habit for scoring important ones when it matters and the prospect of him playing alongside Edouard over the course of the next campaign is one that makes me smile widely and dare to dream.
We may just be on the verge of good news here.