Celtic are said to be trying to rush through two transfer deals before the close of tomorrow’s deadline for the first Champions League qualifiers. One is allegedly for Harry Wilson of Liverpool whilst the other is for John McGinn of Hibs.
I don’t expect either will be done in time, as Brendan himself believes they aren’t required for this round.
I expect business to be done before we face Rosenborg though, and not simply the kind where we replace footballers who have already departed. The task in front of us on Tuesday is relatively straightforward; that’s not the case with the game against the Norwegians.
I don’t think the Wilson move is a good one, and it has nothing to do with him as a player.
I don’t know enough about that to make the call.
I put my reasons for it down yesterday; unless he comes with an option to buy – unlikely as he’s said to be on the verge of agreeing a new deal at Anfield – then it’s simply us developing someone else’s player for them and leaves us scrambling to fill the same slot again next season.
McGinn is a no-brainer. I know some folk don’t agree but aside from our own players I thought he was Scottish football’s outstanding talent in the last campaign and I’ve been a fan for years. He will be a huge asset to our side, and no mistake.
What I do not anticipate us doing is selling anyone, and that includes Kieran Tierney and I won’t even go into this any further.
People are free to write what they want and even believe what they want; I believe what Tierney himself has said publicly, repeatedly, what the club has said about not being willing to sell and what Brendan has about not wanting to.
I also know that no offer has actually been made yet, which means that all talk of player salaries and such like already being agreed is absolute bollocks.
We’re building something here, not dismantling it.