Interest From Chelsea Would Confirm Celtic’s Wanted Man As The Real Thing.

The newswires hum today with news about Juranovic, and it is exactly the sort of news that we would have wanted. Clubs from England are interested, and this includes two of the big ones; Manchester United and Chelsea.

It’s intriguing, and it’s only good for us. Neither club has made an official move – as far as we know – but it’s only natural that they would want him, and their interest keeps his name in the headlines.

But more; it gives us a chance to get a genuine auction going.

The involvement of clubs from that cash-rich league gives us the credibility to refuse any low-ball bids and with some of the top teams being in the race it makes it clear that this will not – as with Bassey – come down to a single club taking a mad punt.

Juranovic has proved his stuff.

Above all, maybe even more than the potential for big money, this increases our credibility as a selling club.

The reason the Ajax’s of this world get serious dough for their players is that they can sell directly to teams at the top end of the market, as we did when we sold Kieran Tierney to Arsenal.

Selling Juranovic to a top team gives you that cachet on top of the money, and in the long term might be worth the world to us.

He will soon take part in a World Cup semi-final and I think he has a good chance of going all the way to the final. Now that England are out we can enjoy what’s left of the tournament without worrying about the prospect of “football coming home.”

As such, a result which would have been termed potentially horrific had England got through last night – Croatia, not Argentina, standing between them and triumph – no longer matters except to those of us who’d like to see Messi crown his career with that glittering prize.

There is no downside to any of this.

If Juranovic suddenly decides he wants to stay we’ve got World Cup semi-finalist who has proved he can cut it at the highest level. If he wants to leave, not only is his value through the roof but his replacement is already in the building.

It’s been a good World Cup for him, and for us.