This is a day for knocking transfer rumours down, or so it seems.
After the Kieran Tierney deal to Sociedad got the green light, we now know that Ryan Fraser will not be joining Celtic. I can hear the sighs of relief from all over the place already, and whilst I think he would have done a job, if the stories linking us with Luis Palma are true we’re getting better player at a better stage in his career, and so I am not going to complain too loudly.
Fraser was a reasonably good shout. He didn’t leave me over excited.
He was the kind of signing I would have completely understood us making under Rodgers, a footballer with experience and who has also played in Scotland and so ticked the UEFA boxes.
The guy would not have cost us the earth, although his wages might have proved a problem without some sort of contribution from Newcastle, and let’s be honest here, they can afford it.
Celtic fans who responded to the stories I wrote about this were almost overwhelmingly negative. I think there’s a little snobbery in that, especially when you consider that this is a guy who has played at a level much higher than a lot of the players we sign.
Still, would he have significantly elevated our squad? Difficult to say, but he would have improved it. I am not convinced that he would have been the sort of player we’d have instantly recognised as being possessed of the quality to get us all off our seats.
He would have won people over, I am sure of that, but even based on the response to my article I think he’d have had an upward battle to do it and that alone makes me think it’s probably right he didn’t come.
There’s a section of our fan-base which finds it all too easy to turn on our own players these days and this guy would have been up against it even on the day he signed, if indeed our club was ever actually interested in getting him in the first place.
That’s not certain of course. Celtic is linked with so many footballers these days that it is sometimes hard to keep up. In the next seven days we’re going to see several dozen names linked with us and almost all of them will be nonsensical.
There is a sort of a feeling that this was one of them.
I don’t think so. I think there was probably some genuine interest in this guy from our club, and one of the reasons for believing this is that the reports initially came from down south and they started with Newcastle fan media … that doesn’t sound like some Daily Record reporter taking a flyer to me but something with perhaps a little bit of proper insider information to back it up.
We probably looked into it. There was probably some chit-chat between the player, his reps and ours. Indeed, some of the more informed hacks have all but confirmed that.
But it is fair to say that he would have been a functional signing – in to do a job, nothing more – than a particularly grabby or exciting one, and that’s why it met with limited enthusiasm.
The feeling amongst our fans – which I wholly understand – is that you cannot replace a player as exciting as Jota with a “functional” box-checker. Podence would have been exciting. Palma is exciting. Ultimately, these kinds of players are a much easier sell.
So that’s another one we can remove from the list of possibles, and whilst I would have applauded it as a signing which got a specific job done and filled a particular hole in the squad, whilst also giving us another Scottish home-grown player, I am not terribly heartbroken over his signing for someone else. This one has probably turned out as it should.
I agree Fraser was not particularly exciting. But I’m not sure how Palma is either? Another project signing probably with language and definitely with cultural assimilation to do. Does the manager even want him? Leaving aside the injuries, last years team needed guys who could walk into the 1st team and we’ve lost Jota for good, who knows if Hatate and Kyogo could follow, and we already let Starfelt go, albeit understandably, but without knowing if his replacement is any better. Small sample size but not a single player signed so far can be described as a first team starter, they may come good or they may just add to the abundance of deadwood the scouting department has delivered in the last few years. If this is the height of our ambitions strap in for a complete doin’ in the Champions League
Totally correct James, believe the potential Fraser deal would only have served as a potential stopgap solution for CL, but never totally convinced it was a solution to a season long campaign either.
Never been really convinced by players not playing regularly at there current clubs?
Ange had that opportunity, with the rebuild, when he first took over, and with great success also.
Rodgers won’t get that same opportunity available, but as a fan base we tend to be far more patient with players we don’t know, than of the names we do know better.
Believe the better decision has been taken by the club, especially as Fraser doesn’t suit our player model, with an attitude problem thrown in for good measure, as reports suggest.
Still need solutions for our 8 Scottish quota, and still believe Fraser could have offered more than some we have currently got on show imo, but winning the league still takes priority over CL success.
With that in mind for the season ahead, remain far more content with Palma within our ranks than Fraser
More wingers FFS we need CH, LB, DM and CF with power its so obvious. People are asleep at the wheel. I dont care who ISNT coming I care who IS coming. We need a couple of first team starters, I think we maybe signed one (At best!) when we need three. This is starting to feel like 2020 to 2021 all over again. We have enough money to cope with injuries if we buy quality.
Yes I think it is best for the club that we passed on Ryan Fraser if only for his transfer fee from Newcastle and the wages he would require. Would hope that there could be a possible chance of aquireing Charlie McGrew as a last minute CH if only on a 6 month loan. H.H.