Celtic fans by and large do not care if Saracchi has a “re-sale value.”

There are some arguments in football that leave me scratching my head, and then there are some that leave me wondering if people are watching the same game as the rest of us.

The latest chatter surrounding Marcelo Saracchi falls firmly into that second category.

Now we hear that Saracchi’s agent has denied any contact with Celtic. Whether that means there has been no contact at all, or simply no formal discussions at this stage, remains to be seen. Football is a funny old business. Agents deny things one week, and players are holding up scarves the next. We have all seen that story play out often enough.

But what really caught my attention was not the agent’s comments.

No, what caught my attention was the familiar chorus from certain quarters insisting that Saracchi would not be a suitable signing because he lacks “re-sale value.”

There it is again. Those two words that seem to dominate every discussion surrounding Celtic these days. Re-sale value.

As though football clubs exist solely to buy players cheaply and sell them on for a profit. As though winning trophies is merely a pleasant side effect. As though supporters are expected to celebrate balance sheets instead of silverware.

If you genuinely believe that Daizen Maeda’s title-winning goal does not happen without Marcelo Saracchi’s contribution, then what exactly are you arguing for when you claim Celtic might struggle to recoup a transfer fee in the future?

Surely the answer is staring us right in the face.

His contribution has already paid for itself.

Not once. Not twice. Many times over.

That league title is worth millions to Celtic. The financial rewards of Champions League football dwarf any modest transfer fee that might be attached to Saracchi. When a player helps deliver success on the pitch, he is creating value right there and then.

Not every footballer needs to be viewed as a future auction item. Not every player needs to arrive with a spreadsheet attached to his back.

Some players are simply good footballers who improve your team.

What a revolutionary concept.

Celtic supporters have spent years watching players come and go. We have seen youngsters arrive, develop and move on for substantial fees. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that model. In fact, it has served the club well at times.

But somewhere along the way, a section of the support and, perhaps more importantly, sections of the boardroom, seem to have forgotten something rather important.

Football clubs exist to win football matches.

They exist to win leagues. They exist to create memories and give supporters moments they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Nobody stands outside Celtic Park reminiscing about an excellent profit margin. Nobody sings songs about successful asset management. Nobody travels thousands of miles to follow Celtic because the accounts department delivered an impressive quarterly report.

We follow Celtic because of the players who pull on that green and white jersey and leave everything on the pitch.

Saracchi did exactly that. He came into the side and immediately looked comfortable. He brought energy, aggression and quality. Most importantly, he looked like someone who understood exactly what it means to play for Celtic.

Sometimes supporters and boards alike become obsessed with numbers while forgetting the human side of football. Players like him give everything to the club. They contribute to trophies. They help create successful seasons and earn the admiration of the support.

Yet somehow, when discussions about their future begin, the conversation immediately turns towards what somebody might pay for him later.

Perhaps we need to start valuing players differently. Perhaps the real value lies in what they contribute while they are here. Perhaps there comes a point where Celtic simply say: thank you. Thank you for your effort. Thank you for your commitment.

Thank you for helping deliver success.

Thank you for giving the supporters memories they will never forget.

Not every departure needs to be accompanied by a transfer windfall. Not every signing needs to come with the promise of future profit.

Sometimes a player’s value is measured in medals, not millions.

Sometimes it is measured in moments, and sometimes those moments can define an entire season. If Saracchi’s involvement helped create the circumstances that ultimately led to a league title, then his contribution has already become part of Celtic’s history. If they helped us get to a Champions League qualifier and that sets us up for the Groups, what the Hell are people talking about re-sale value for? He’s paid for himself.

No accountant can put an accurate figure on those other things; memories, key moments, the things that turn games. No spreadsheet can properly measure it. No transfer-market calculation can fully explain it.

That is football. That is why supporters fall in love with players. That is why trophies matter more than profit margins.

My Ginger-Witch instincts tell me that Celtic occasionally lose sight of this simple truth. The winds blowing around Parkhead often seem to carry talk of business models, player trading and sustainability. Those things are important, certainly.

But there is another voice in those winds too.

The voice of the support. The voice that craves ambition. The voice that wants the club to reward those who have served it well. The voice that understands football is played on grass, not spreadsheets.

In my view, if Marcelo Saracchi ultimately does not return, then so be it. Football moves quickly, and circumstances change.

But if the argument against signing him boils down to a lack of re-sale value, then that argument deserves to be laughed straight out of the room.

Some players give you value every single time they pull on the jersey. Some players repay their fee through commitment, quality and success. Some players help deliver titles. Does anyone really sit with regret that we never sold Larsson when he was at his peak and the value of him was through the roof?

Certain people maybe. But Celtic should not be worrying quite so much about what they might receive at the end of the journey and instead appreciate what they received along the way. After all, football is not merely about buying and selling.

It is about winning. It is about glory. It is about those magical moments that live forever beneath the Paradise lights, where dreams are stitched into the fabric of the green and white, and where the faithful gather beneath the old Glasgow sky knowing that some contributions can never be measured in pounds and pence.

They can only be measured in memories.

And those, dear friends, are priceless.

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