Reports from Sky and elsewhere today say that they can confirm that Celtic have made an offer for the Barcelona winger Alex Collado. This is on the same day that rumours continue to link us with the Marseille striker Bamba Dieng, which some sources have denied.
Collado has a year left on his deal. But there are reports that Barcelona have offered him a one-year extension whilst Xavi evaluates him for the first team. The player is said to be unconvinced, but there is a Hell of a lot going on at Barcelona right now and this story will probably run up until the window closes. Their club is an absolute mess.
If the signing ban which the league has imposed on them stays in place he’ll be a part of their first team squad and that might make the decision easy for him. If they are allowed to sign players – and they are pulling out all the stops – he’ll probably go.
There’s also some uncertainty over what kind of deal Celtic want for him. If he’s got a year to go on his Barcelona deal we want him on a permanent transfer, and would have to pay them some sort of fee. It won’t be a big one. If he signs a one year extension we can bring him in on loan. But that’s where the tough questions come in.
How much are we going to learn bringing this guy to Celtic on a one year loan? We are well covered out wide, and I don’t know that changes all that much even if Mikey Johnston heads off for his own loan deal. I’m sure he’s a good player … but so are Abada, Maeda and Jota and all three of them are major assets to the squad who won’t be shifted easily.
I just wonder if there aren’t other areas of the team which need the love.
I still think the ball-winning midfielder should be a priority, and it’s been long rumoured that the club wants another striker. Players will have to leave first, but I actually think we’ll find a club for Ajeti, even if he only goes out on loan.
Obviously, it’s great seeing us linked to players and the manager’s judgement will be trusted come what may … but we have one Hell of a team middle to front already and although making it stronger is obviously exciting, it does also create issues over how we can keep everybody satisfied if certain players are going to spend a lot of time on the bench.
There are three weeks of the window left … we’ll see what happens. But don’t be surprised if this is actually just talk and the manager has other plans, for other areas of the team.
We definitely need another winger. An injury to any of the 3 we rely on atm leaves us threadbare.
The stories I read say that he is a midfielder who can play as a winger when required.
Even better. We need a Right Midfielder, Winger and Centre Forward to solidify this squad.
…though scrolling down the comments on here i see someone say he’s left footed.
O’Reilly is our only option on the right, and while he’s a good option who is improving, we don’t have a lot of competition or cover there.
I’m not ‘footist'(not sure thats really a word!?) so if a left footed player could adapt to playing on the right, then fair enough; its all just press talk though until the club confirm a signature.
The fact that he is a Barcelona protege does suggest he will be a class act, but I cannot see us forking out cash for a player that we don’t really need right now, unless of course we are looking at him as a potential profitable sell-on later. A loan should definitely be a no/no as we would be expected to play him at possibly the expense of others who are already well settled into the team. The loans last season were necessary, but not so much needed now.
Without actually having seen him, it’s a tough choice, but I am sure Ange will make the right decision if the deal is possible.
I watched him on YouTube and he looks a very good player, Great ability mostly all from the midfield not on the wing, great left foot and a good age.
If Ange wants him I would be happy to go along with him.
TB
Hail Hail
Like others have mentioned, he’s been listed as both a winger and a midfielder. His defensive metrics are VERY good and stand out. His offensive output hasn’t been there, but small sample size (around 1,000 min over his entire career) and playing on loan for a team that got relegated suggests he wasn’t in a good environment to showcase any offensive talent he may have.
Also, it’s pretty clear he has zero future at Barcelona. He’s the same age as Jota, and he got a whole 23 minutes of playing time this summer across 7 friendly matches when Barcelona was regularly using 22+ players each match. As far as comparables go, he would be like Urhoghide’s backup in Celtic’s preseason. He’s that far down. And at 23 years old, Barcelona is preferring to give minutes to their current ‘B’ squad players over him.
As for whether Celtic should sign him… I trust Ange’s judgement. He won’t be brought in to not play, and if he’s good enough to improve the starting 11 in the Champions League, that’s good enough for me even if it means someone like Abada (wing) or O’Reilly (midfield) has to sit.
It would be a step up in quality for sure if reports of his ability and positional flexibility are to be believed. If it was a loan to buy and we could afford his wages then why not improve the quality of the squad
If Ange thinks he’s suitable then it’s OK!
Let’s be honest if the Chelsea / United stories are correct and the money is right Josip Juranowicz will be off!
As will any other player that attracts big money, sorry to say that is how it works nowadays.
I suspect he’s being touted, not sought.