Wow. That’s all I can say on a day like today.
Or it’s all I’d say if I didn’t have James hanging over my shoulder and demanding that I deliver something on all these cool transfer stories.
The man is relentless. So is the transfer rumour mill.
In all seriousness, it’s days like this that I live for, stories like these I crave, and things like this that I want to be writing.
I can’t remember a week that’s started like this in a long time. I got up this morning to no fewer than four different transfer tales, all of them interesting, all of them exciting. But how many of them are actually going to happen?
David Turnbull certainly will. He is rumoured to have had his medical yesterday and in the know Motherwell bloggers and sites have already bid him a fond farewell. The player will finally arrive at Celtic Park a full year after he was supposed to … our due diligence last year might have saved us not only money but the best years of the player’s career.
All parties will benefit from this deal. It is especially good for our club.
Shane Duffy is in Scotland, but as I said yesterday it’s not to sign for Celtic.
Or at least, it’s not only to sign for Celtic.
He’s here, in fact, on tour with Brighton, who have chosen rainy Dundee for their training camp.
Those who scoff at that forget the salient detail that UK players aren’t able to jet out to sunnier climates this year. Celtic went to Leicester, which is even less salubrious than Dundee unless you’re Brendan Rodgers and being paid lavishly for the visit.
I’m still saying Duffy will sign. The Record’s ridiculous story that it’s “on hold” whilst we pursue Turnbull suggests that our club isn’t able to focus on two deals at once; I say if Sevco can manage it I’m sure Peter Lawwell can.
I really don’t know what’s stupider, that Keith Jackson believes that or that his editor published it.
The third rumour is about Aaron Hickey, who is reported to have turned down German cracks Bayern Munich in favour of coming home to Celtic Park.
That will be incredible if it’s true.
To have had an offer from the newly minted Champions of Europe and to have chosen Parkhead instead will be a major statement from the player … and a major coup for our club.
Is the long term answer to the Kieran Tierney dilemma? A lot of people think so. If he signs for Celtic look out for press editorials playing down his potential or worse; hacks sneering at him for “not wanting to leave the comfort zone of Scottish football.”
You could write this stuff for them, so certain are we of what we’re going to get.
The maddest of the four transfer stories is the one from Turkey, which says we’ve had a £7.5 million bid accepted for winger/striker Caleb Ekuban of Trabzonspor.
I know we all want to see a player signed who can provide competition for James Forrest, but this would be more than that … a guy like this wouldn’t be signing to sit on the bench, this would be a first team footballer, a starter … and it would spark all kinds of rumours about players on the way out.
James wrote a piece yesterday on the apparent new transfer strategy; the signing of first-team ready footballers.
This would certainly be in keeping with that … but it’s impossible to shake the feeling that a deal like this would signify the end for someone else at the club. I think it’s highly unlikely that we’re about to pay our second highest transfer fee ever … more likely is that the club or the player’s agent are playing games and trying to attract offers.
Still, it is a lovely story to tantalise ourselves with even if I expect it to be denied by the close of business.
The club is busy, but I doubt we’re busy to this extent!
Three out of four of these seem more than plausible though … and I will be thrilled, as I’m sure we all will, if these deals come off.
The Rumour Guy is a Celtic fan and blogger from Glasgow who hasn’t been this excited since The Dark Knight Rises came out …
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