Celtic’s transfer business might be on the brink of completion. As I wrote this morning, there is a good chance that a deal for a striker might be just about over the line.
Even as we gear up for what might be a big announcement, the club across the city gears up for a couple of its own.
We’ve all heard by now that Cantwell has “jetted in” – as if he was expected to travel from Norwich on a Stagecoach or paddle up the Clyde – and that they are chasing the guy at Swansea, although the sticking point there is that he’ll cost them actual money. The more interesting one appears to be Raskin, of Standard Liege … but even that’s not what it seems.
Raskin, they know simply because they came up against him in the Europa League. The others are players from England. England seems to be the place they’ll be doing the bulk of their shopping. They are working from Ross Wilson’s target list, and Wilson doesn’t appear to be a man who has a whole lot of imagination when it comes to this stuff.
The English market is what Wilson knows, it’s all he knows. As Celtic continues to cast the net far afield, you can already see what their transfer profile is going to be. You can already see the type of players they are going to go for.
Ordinarily, there is nothing wrong with a manager “signing what he knows.” Under Ange, we’ve had a lot of luck from that. But look at our signing profile even outside of Japan. We’ve brought in players from Israel, from Russia, from the MLS, from Croatia, from Portugal and now we’re looking at Korea as well. This is exciting for fans.
And it means that when you’re shopping you have a better chance to sign quality.
If you’re pottering around the English league looking for bargains, you’re essentially doing what every club down there is doing, which is why I’m frankly astonished that they are getting so excited over Cantwell, a player who, if he’s half as good as our media says, should have plenty of interest in his native land … and yet doesn’t. They broadcast it as “winning the race” for him the other day; who exactly were they in this race with except for themselves?
Our club is so far ahead of them on and off the pitch right now … their transfer strategy continues to be baffling, and I’ll be writing more about that in the coming weeks of course. In the meantime, our own goes from strength to strength … there are 11 days of the window to go, but Ange evidently believes there’ll be good news way before that.
They are potless, so they have to cut their cloth to suit, and so corner shops are the only places they can afford to shop.
We welcome the chase as they fall out of sight in our rear mirror.
When was the last time you tried shopping in a corner shop? The filth couldn’t afford that level of price gouging! It’s Poundland for the £1 new klub….
At the end of the day it’s all about getting results. I have seen Cuntwell play in the EPL when that German guy was the boss and he looked pretty decent. If that lot can get him for nothing and he starts banging them in, instant profit.
I am happy with Angeball and I go with his vision. But on this Cuntwell thing, I have a feeling it might turn out well for them.
I hope I am wrong.
13 goals in 120 appearances, banging them in?
Cantshootwell
Just over a 10% scoring rate.
Dearie me!
You never know!
Transfer inflation is rampant in England.
I heard he was a really promising youngster but he’s no longer that. Time will tell. He’s been around a few years now and having seen him play regularly, at first, in the English leagues how many clubs were queueing up for the low ball midfielder? The huns have got better players coming back from injury than him but tbf they’ve outbid most teams across Europe to get the expensive, in demand, CL quality talent. And he’s not a loan signing. The gullibles will be so pleased.