Today’s transfer round-up is a mixed bag.
And in that bag are many things, but only a handful of them are any good.
There are six names for us to ponder as targets, one player whose deal isn’t done yet but should be over the line soon and, of course, Kieran Tierney, the speculation that refuses to go away no matter how much we might all want it to.
I usually try to keep this quite jocular; today I’m simply not in the mood and want to get this done as quickly as possible and then drink a lot of gin. We have a Champions League qualifier coming up on us like a mugger in an alley and the total lack of forward progress is self-evident.
There was a lot of talk about how the club has been busy working on its target list for months.
God, isn’t it a good job they weren’t wasting that time instead?
Keiran Tierney: The Transfer Story We Wish Would Just Die
Let’s start with Tierney first.
He’s still a Celtic player at the time of writing and it doesn’t look likely that Arsenal are going to end up meeting our valuation of him. They simply don’t have the money to pursue Tierney all the way as well as their other targets.
Tough old world, isn’t it? Even EPL money doesn’t guarantee that they can just roll up at Celtic Park and pick up our best players anymore.
As far as most Celtic fans are concerned, that should really be that.
We ought to tell them to chase themselves at this point, although whether we do or not will depend on how badly Lawwell wants the deal to go through. We were quick enough to tell Leicester that McGregor was not for sale; I wonder why we’ve not taken the same line here.
If you don’t think keeping Tierney is an imperative, you just have to look at some of the players who we’ve been linked with as his “replacement”, and if you thought the guy we brought in when Dembele left was uninspiring you really ain’t seen nothing yet.
The Club Is Linked With Two Shockingly Low-Grade Replacements For Him.
The first of the Kieran replacements we’ve been linked with is Max Lowe, who you’ll remember (or maybe not) played for Aberdeen last season.
Yes, the club that finished behind the NewCo and had an absolutely rank rotten campaign. This is what some people – our editor included – feared when Lennon was appointed; if you thought scouting the lower leagues of England was bad, this is what the alternative looks like. SPL scouting instead.
Because one of the other alternatives also played last season in the SPL: it’s Greg Taylor from Kilmarnock.
How shocking it would be if this was the level of our intent.
These two players are cheap, pitiful options who will cost us minimal fees and low wages.
To remove Tierney from Celtic and put one of these guys in would be a pathetic, disgraceful, response to a major blow against everything we’re trying to do as a club.
And Two Foriegn Talents, One Of Whom Played Against The NewCo Last Season.
Of more interest are two other players, Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo and Romain Perraud.
Celtic are linked with both of them today, although it’s said that we’ve been scared off from Perraud because of his wage demands, but I don’t see it personally; he’s not exactly a top tier talent, having played only a handful of senior games. That has “punt” written all over it.
Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo plays for Rapid Vienna and has a bit more to him.
He would cost us £3 million, or so the reports say.
Cheap and much of the cash could probably be recouped if the Celtic store was to insist on fans getting his full name on the back of their replica shirts. He seems to be a better bet, but he’s way behind Tierney in terms of ability which is the problem we’re going to face all the way down the line here, whoever we bring in.
Don’t let anyone tell you we come out of the summer stronger at left back if Tierney leaves, even if we do bring in the regular starter and the backup.
Selling him is an atrocious thing to even contemplate as we’re heading into the nine-in-a-row campaign.
A Right Back And Yet Another Central Midfielder …
Peter Ankerson the right back from Copenhagen is still linked with us.
He’s 28 and available for around £2.5 million.
I would have no problem with this deal except that the speculation about him has been rife for over a week and there’s no movement on it yet.
No club can drag its feet quite like ours; you would never believe pre-season training was already underway.
The laugh out loud report today is about Jose Cifuentes, a young midfielder from Ecuador who is linked with a number of European clubs as well as ours.
It’s a position we certainly don’t need to be focussed overmuch on with an entire defence to rebuild, but the club has an obsession with this area of the pitch which simply won’t let up.
I’d say there’s about zero chance of us making this one fly, especially with the clubs who are allegedly interested in him.
And Two Deals Which Are Just About Over The Line. Sort Of.
Which brings us to David Turnbull. A deal was supposed to be done on that one already, and the team flew out to Austria today without him in the squad.
Everyone expects it to be done, but our unerring ability to piss about is quite something to see.
But wait a week because that’s when the temporary DoF is due to start; even that makes you wonder whether there’s any joined up thinking going on.
Why’s he only on hand until this window shuts?
He’s either up to the job or he isn’t, but with the glacial nature of how we do business it would be good, at last, to have someone at the club who knows how to get these things done with minimum fuss. Perhaps that’s why he’s not being appointed full-time.
The Rumour Guy is a Celtic blogger and international fugitive on the run from the Peepul, because he once tried to cross the road during an Orange Walk.
