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Are Celtic fans not allowed to enjoy Bernardo without folk speculating on a future sale?

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One of the few good things to happen during international breaks comes when a Celtic player delivers a standout performance for their country. We all take pride in seeing them excel on that stage. Paulo Bernardo did just that this week, scoring for the Portuguese under-21s. It was a major moment in his career and a boost for everyone at the club.

Although Bernardo was with us last season, this is his first as a prominent member of the squad, and many have high hopes for his future, both at Celtic and internationally. His goal for the under-21s is a clear sign of his progress, and it highlights how valuable Celtic has been in his development.

Yet, as always, such moments are overshadowed by tedious stories speculating about his future sale value. Honestly, I wish we could stop with this relentless obsession over the potential profit every new signing might bring us somewhere down the line. The guy is just in the door. Can we not enjoy him for a while as a player before starting the chatter about moving him on?

Until it became clear that O’Riley was going to leave, I never saw him as an asset beyond his value to the squad. The idea of a future profit wasn’t the point of signing him in the first place; it was about what he could contribute on the pitch, and that’s precisely what he did.

I have no interest in stories about how much money we’ll make when we eventually sell Paulo Bernardo, whether that’s in two, three, or five years. I care about what he can do for Celtic now, how he can enhance the team with his talent. It’s absurd to be discussing future transfer fees when he’s only just arrived.

What purpose do these stories serve? Sure, it’s nice to think we’ve got valuable players on the books, and it might irk the club across the city that Bernardo could make us a tidy sum one day. But what bothers them more, I reckon, is that exceptional performance he turned in at Celtic Park and how he looks set to dominate their midfield for years to come.

When you read these stories about potential profits, it feels like we’re in a hurry to shove players out the door, as if they were only signed to inflate the bank balance. Why can’t we just appreciate Bernardo in the here and now, for what he does on the pitch? Why can’t we love him for his skill with the ball, without obsessing over stuff like that?

I don’t disagree with the general idea that Bernardo is a player who could make us a lot of money someday, and that might make the other lot envious. But that’s not what matters to me. Bernardo is the guy who made that brilliant run on Cup Final day last season and fired off the shot that the keeper fumbled for Idah to score.

To me, that’s what he represents: a talented player with the potential to become exceptional, improving our team in the process.

I won’t find any comfort in seeing him linked with a move, even if it brings in a big fee. I’ll see it as a loss to the team, just another quality player we’d need to replace — and the fear is always that we might do it with someone less capable.

Yes, it’s good for a football club to have valuable assets. I get why some focus on that side of things. We all like nice things. I like them myself. Every three years I build myself a custom PC with all the top specs and last year I spent a small fortune, and in addition to all my tailored needs I bought a fancy tempered glass case and a bunch of parts with flashy RGB lighting.

It looks stunning when it lights up the room at night. But I didn’t buy it to look good — it was bought to perform, and it does. That’s its real function.

That’s how I see Paulo Bernardo. Sure, it’s nice to say we have a Portuguese under-21 international worth a fortune, but he wasn’t brought in just to inflate the squad’s market value. He’s here to enhance the team on the pitch. I wish we could stop fixating on potential profits and appreciate these players as footballers, not financial assets.

More than anything, I wish we didn’t sound like a club focused solely on money or one which seems so eager to cash in. Let’s enjoy these players for what they bring to the game and not look ahead to any future sale with anything other than a twinge of regret.

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7 comments

  • Tony B says:

    Surprise surprise. We’ve only just bought him and Cult Quack Nonsense is

    running a piece speculating on how much he can be sold for.

    And Peter Lawwell has no connection/influence with that site apparently.

    Hmmmmmm?

  • paddybhoy67 says:

    ” Let’s enjoy these players for what they bring to the game and not look ahead to any future sale with anything other than a twinge of regret.” That’s the stance of a true supporter, James, not a pencil-sharpening money grubber.

  • Pat says:

    One of the things that irritates me about fans. Especially fan sites. The need to put a price on every single player that has a couple of good games. And then moan when the club tries to sell them or they decide to move on. The value of any player is first and foremost what they bring to the team on the pitch.

  • SFATHENADIROFCHIFTINESS says:

    Unfortunately that the model our Board operates. Buy low when you can, develop and move them on.
    It won’t change anytime soon.The only hope is the idea of a European League.

    If we are consistently present in such a League the financial rewards would hopefully allow us to offer comparable wages to enable us to plan mid to long term turnover in players like a conveyor belt.

    We will never see players, other than perhaps home grown players, staying beyond 3/4/5/ years while we are restricted by the Scottish Football Landscape. Celtic needs a higher platform to fulfil it’s potential and the fans ambitions.

    • Joe McQuaid says:

      Nailed it. When we are able to offer players 8/10/12 games in top European competition then much more attractive. Key is euro revenues to pay the wages which probably means more euro games (in an already crowded fixture list – I reckon the League Cup is doomed).
      Enjoy Bernardo whilst he is with us – I think he is a fabulous midfielder and thought he could have played more last season. He ALWAYS turns up in the big games – I expect him to be a standout this season.

  • Clachnacuddin and the Hoops says:

    The article doesn’t say where the specific speculation is coming from…

    But you don’t need the IQ of a shoe size to imagine it’ll be from The Scummy’s of The Scummy Scottish Football Media…

    If I’m wrong in my ascertation then of course they have ma apologies which they can see when they lurk on here which we already know that some of them do (And steal James’s published copy) !

  • Kevin Dunne says:

    As Tom Jones says ,it,s not unusual, any players we get are looked at by board as potential profit that,s how they are sadly

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