Today the press is reporting that Norwich are interested in Kris Ajer, and I find that amusing for a number of reasons.
It’s a long way from AC Milan. I don’t think that Norwich will be the biggest club who come in for him, but it raises an interesting point.
Ajer, Christie and Edouard are going to leave in this window and it will be interesting to see where they end up.
If Ajer goes to the likes of Milan, or Edouard goes to Germany or Italy or somewhere like that, if Christie ends up at a decent English side then all of them will be able to make some kind of argument that they wanted a “new challenge.”
But anyone ending up at Norwich or a club like that is going for money.
I have no objection to that. Most people – but not everyone – I know would leave their current job for more money and there’s nothing abnormal about that.
Football is a short career and whilst we talk about players being greedy and grabbing all they can, bear in mind that most of them are finished getting the big bucks in their mid-thirties and none will ever come close to that kind of money again.
I understand it. We all do. Which is why if players were honest with us we’d appreciate it more than them coming out with some nonsense – as Rodgers did last week – about “the next level.”
As if trying to make Celtic a credible team in Europe wasn’t a challenge, as if maintaining our position in the face of constant attacks wasn’t a difficult task.
If you leave Celtic Park for Norwich, you are not going for “football reasons.”
I know some will argue that these guys want to improve as players by playing against a better class of footballer; my answer to that is that we wouldn’t sign Ryan Christie right now based on his performances in this campaign against SPL level teams.
He would have a cheek to want to play against a better class of opponent when he’s barely raised his game to the level of the Hibs’ and Aberdeen’s.
I just want players to level with us; for a guy like Ajer going somewhere like Norwich is a step back from Celtic, not a step forward. I will be surprised if Ajer goes there.
I will be even more surprised if he does it and then tries to pretend it’s a sign of ambition.