The Daily Record couldn’t help it today but to go with one of their screaming headlines. “Celtic Could Miss Out On £3 Million Motherwell Target David Turnbull.” Panic stations all round folks. Our board of directors is clearly asleep at wheel.
Except, yeah they probably aren’t. We’re 12 months on.
In that space of time kind of a lot has happened at Celtic Park. One is that Olivier Ntcham has decided to stay. Another is that Tom Rogic is fit. Mikey Johnston has started scoring goals. And Ryan Christie continued his excellent form from towards the end of the eight in a row campaign.
All these things happened during the quest for nine. Turnbull would have been an excellent signing for that battle, but I do believe it would have been at the expense of the French midfielder and then we might never have had that glorious night in Rome.
Nobody needed to remind the manager that Ntcham was a good footballer; it wasn’t his talent, but his attitude, which had been called into question.
The guy is brilliant when he’s fully focussed, and he is one of those footballers who tends to show up on the big days and nights when it matters.
When we bid for Turnbull almost all of us thought Ollie was on the way out, but Neil Lennon and he sat down and sorted it all out, and we’re better off for it.
Mikey Johnson looks like being the next big Celtic star to emerge from the youth academy.
He was tremendous last season when fit, and has skill has improved beyond measure.
He is an exciting player, and the addition of goals to his game made his formidable.
Which brings me to Ryan Christie who in another season might have been our player of the year. He was exceptional in the last campaign, and has pretty much made the number 10 spot his own. There are few more technically gifted players in the country.
Tom Rogic remains the true obstacle to Turnbull being signed I think.
Because when a guy as talented as this can’t get into the team at the current time that shows how good the guys in front of him are.
What chance does a kid just back from long term injury have?
The simple truth is that there’s no longer a clear place for Turnbull in the team, even if he had proved his fitness in the manner that would justify Celtic paying that kind of money for him at the moment. If Stoke really are willing to take the punt – as the article suggests – then they are undoubtedly getting a fine footballer for the money … if he’s fully recovered.
Every Celtic fan will wish him well too, as he showed that he wanted to be at our club last time in spite of urging from his agent and a lot of others to snub us. I was heartbroken for the kid when the move finally collapsed after he’d gone that extra mile to get it done.
Honestly, I think we’ve got so many options in that position at the club right now that it would be a waste of money to go for another one when we don’t have to.
There are other areas of this team – such as central defence and, of course, the goalkeeper position – where the need is greater and clearer and where our efforts will properly be focussed.
Press speculation about certain other positions – including the strikers spot – is just that and should be ignored.
We know where we need to get stuff done.
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