If He’s Ready To Turn Down Celtic, Riley McGee Has Told Us What His Priorities Are.

Every player has a price.

That’s one of the great truisms of football.

But every club has a number, and over that line they will not go.

As Ange has been involved in the negotiations for Riley McGee, and as he knows this guy well as a footballer, you have to imagine that he agrees with the number that the club has put to him. And that’s where we are.

If Riley McGee has turned that number down, if he prefers English second tier football, and money, instead of European football, trophies and a little less money then he fails to hit one of Ange’s most important boxes; the one that says “I only want people who want to be here.”

Perhaps this is an agent thing.

Personal terms aren’t always down to the player, and the player was apparently sold on coming here to play for Ange. Maybe this is a little bit of brinksmanship; if it is then it won’t be Celtic who blinks, that’s for sure.

And perhaps Riley McGee has other priorities.

He is entitled to follow those, but we have no use for that here, no use for those who don’t see our vision clearly.

Middlesbrough are interested; if that’s the level he’s considering, if that’s more attractive to him, then it’s “toddle on mate and enjoy the rest of your career.” We move on to Plan B.

No harm to McGee, but I hadn’t even heard of him until a week ago and although the manager rates him the fact he’s another Aussie – and thus we’re susceptible to losing him at the same time as so many other players – was something I was slightly disquieted about; if Plan B is an EU based player I think I’d be pretty happy with the outcome.

This one has a way to go yet I suspect.

If the deal is done, then we’ll celebrate it.

If it’s not done, then we proceed to the next one. Trust in the manager.

It’s his writ that will run here.