Amazing.
Here we were all waiting, today, for news of Joe Hart and instead we get James McCarthy first, on a four year deal … at least according to The Daily Mail.
Where they are getting it from I simply do not know, but since this story exploded across the Celtic sites over the weekend there’s been a certain inevitability about it coming off this time.
We’ve all heard the stories in every window, it seems, for the past few years but this one felt different.
Our need is greater than it’s ever been, a Brown replacement had to be found and with the requisite experience and affection for Celtic … and the logic of it was too strong.
I’ve had a good feeling about this one for the past few days, and if it turns out to be accurate – and The Mail has a good record for this stuff and usually gets it spot on – then it’s a critical gap filled and a critical addition to the squad.
McCarthy is said to be “injury prone”, it’s largely a myth as I pointed out during the week.
He had a spell of bad injuries which lasted a couple of years, but the guy can still do a job for us and he’s at the age where we have to consider him in his peak.
And he gets it, he knows what we’re all about as a club, he understands the requirements here and he will give everything he can for the cause. I love that we’ve finally completed this deal, it’s one I think a lot of us have been waiting on for a long time.
Now it looks as if one of the longest running transfer sagas in the recent history of our club is at an end, and a positive end.
It was a colossal mistake that we ever let McCarthy wind up in England rather than at Celtic Park, an error at least the equal of the John McGinn one.
On his day McCarthy will easily be the best midfielder in this league with the possible exception of Callum McGregor.
Pairing them, at last … well, that will go a long way to restoring the feel-good factor right across this club.
It is a significant signing.
It will be an awesome signing.