Soccer Football - Champions League - Group E - Celtic v Lazio - Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - October 4, 2023 Celtic's Luis Palma celebrates scoring a goal before it is disallowed following a VAR review REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
The Magnificent Seven has arrived. The most iconic strip at the club now has a new iconic footballer. That much is clear after a superb week for Luis Palma.
A goal at Motherwell, what should have been a Champions League match-winner, ruled out for offside, capped by a goal against Kilmarnock … home in the league, away in the league and on the biggest stage of all, Palma already looks like someone who will repay his transfer fee a hundred times over.
I wrote when he signed that when he was linked with a move to Ibrox in the early summer he was the one player I did not want them to get. A look at his stats told you that he was just what they needed and didn’t have; a wide player who could score goals and lay on assists with ease. He was clearly a cut above anyone else they were linked to.
The move never happened. He didn’t like the idea, or they couldn’t cobble the money together, or whatever it was. But their interest was very real and their fan-media outlets were very excited about it, and it was not difficult to understand why.
What I found amazing, and petty of them, was when we were linked with him and it became apparent that he was going to sign for us and their response was to deny they’d ever been interested in the first place. Their claim was risible.
They looked but decided not to proceed with a deal. I said at the time that they better hope their own signings were successful after making a claim like that because if he hit the ground running and they didn’t it was the sort of thing managers lost their jobs over … The Mooch was gone much more quickly than I thought.
Palma already looks like everything their new guys don’t. He’s slotted right in and looks dangerous every time he’s on the ball. He will score plenty, he will lay goals on, he will light up matches.
I was researching a story last week, which I’ll write in due course, where I came across a claim Jock Brown made about Jo Venglos trying to convince him to sign Lubo, and that story seems to me to fit Palma pretty well.
He told Brown that every great side needs three players in it who are capable of a moment of magic to turn a game. At the time Celtic only had one, in Larsson, and he felt that we needed another. Celtic has more than one; we have Hatate, Kyogo, O’Riley … when he’s fit Abada. But the clear need for another one has been met.
These kinds of players are so rare that you hold on tight when you find one. You certainly don’t scout one, let him get away and then diss him when your rivals swoop in to do what you’ve failed to. That is the height of stupidity, even if you are confident your own signings will work out. It did not take a genius to see how it could blow up in their faces.
The stronger Palma gets, and the greater the impact that he has, the more this contrast will haunt them. Their colossal mistakes over the summer have led to a bloated front line none of whom look worth a damn. There’s not even obvious re-sale value there, whereas you just know that Palma is going to draw interest from all over Europe when he is in his stride.
I think when people look back on this season Ibrox’s failure to sign Palma will go down as one of the landmark moments. It already seems like a colossal mistake, but the greater error in judgement might be boasting about their decision not to. No sane club would have done that. But then, we know we’re not dealing with the smartest kids in the class here.
Yes indeed – No sane club would’ve done that indeed – But hey ho, This is Sevco or perhaps Insane Sevco…
Brendan won’t need to do much of a motivational team talk with Luis before the next Glasgow Derby –
Sevco saying that they snubbed him and told him to effectively GTF have already done it for Brendan…
Stupid, Stupid peepil indeed – Now, then and evermore hopefully !
Would you believe a word that comes out beale’s mouth?
Think it could have been more of a case that Palma had no interest in joining the scum whatsoever James.
Who could actually blame him?
Our club has built up a reputation within the game, as possibly one, if not the best career opportunities available to them, hence why we can attract big time players, that can match the demands within the club.
Palma, still along with many others within the squad, may well attract bigger wages elsewhere, but possibly won’t get the same success, and the same happiness that the big club mantra brings with it.
Celtic remains a very special club, and players gain memories that remain unrivalled within the game.
In turn these special players to ourselves, live long in our hearts, and believe Palma has got what it takes to add his name to an ever growing list.
Still need a big performance from him, against the scum to really rub salt into the gapping wounds of the zombies, and certainly capable of delivering also imo.
The moleman with his nonsense about not being interested? is just another to add to in the long line of lies, that scum club was newly built upon
He gives us what we are lacking, more goals from our forward positions.
The only reason Sevco snubbed him was when they heard what he was going to cost !.
Hope they continue tae fk up as well. Long may it last. Big John Hartson among others, is another prime example of their ‘expert’ judgement. We all know how that turned out. Cheers and thanks very much.
They are not even as smart as the class dunces.
Early days yet but there’s a player in there. The lack of pace may be, as is reported, his weakness but it’s his strengths I’m hoping to see grow. With Brendan in charge I’m sure he, the middle three and the likes of Scales and Taylor can become even stronger. It seems the Turnbull v Hatate, experiment is a bust. Hatate imo is miles ahead as a player and I think BR manipulated and managed Hatate’s ambition really well. This has been a lesson Hatate appears to and must learn from but still I’m glad he’s committed to a longer contract.
We have yet to see the best of Palma and I can’t wait if that’s the case. His finish at the weekend was outstanding though funnily enough the BBC’s foot soldiers such as Stewart, a man I used to have respect for, chose to focus continually on an offside rule he isn’t able to understand instead, minimalizing Palma’s effort to almost nought. It seems, as shite as they are, as complete a failure as they are, the midden’s new sectarian club still have quite a hold on them. The panel and the likes of Stewart, McCann, etc, seem to get lots of time to focus more on influencing refs decision making with regards to us than the football talent on show. Simply said it’s pathetic to listen to and Stewart has now lost any of the objectivity he used to have.
The argument that ex players know better and should sit on and become the VAR representatives is the new push being put forward even though they clearly show a lack of nous and intellect. Now given that they can’t give less penalties again the rankers whatever can they be thinking eh? HH
Palma looks the business, and he can play left wing, right wing and through the middle. Such adaptability could prove crucial, given that we will be losing our Asian players in January.
Hail Hail.
James you need to speak out against Palestine support in your blog from some Celtic fans.
I must be missing something, I don’t think Palma merits the praise he is receiving from some sources including this one.
Even some of my friends are heaping praise on him.
I hope I am wrong but I just don’t get it just now.
I don’t think he is particularly quick and I’ve yet to see him beat a full back and get a good cross in.