Good to see some rumours of transfer movement in the summer. It bodes well for next season, especially if the club confirm a contract extension for Brendan Rodgers in June…
This season has yet to be concluded as we currently fight on two fronts, heading ever closer to the Scottish Premiership split, but already there have been rumours of movement on the transfer front in the upcoming summer window.
Celtic’s busy doctor
For the past couple of weeks the club have been linked with several players with club scouts believed to be looking at numerous players in different countries.
Players who occupy the positions we need to strengthen, which suggests that Celtic is actively seeking to secure agreements for new faces in ahead of the window, something we’ve been guilty of neglecting in the past.
It also reflects well on new head of football operations Paul Tisdale who was appointed in October last year. The Englishman was unfairly judged after an underwhelming January transfer window, but it looks as if he’s using his contacts and experience to exert his influence on the very matter he was hired to improve.
The priority is a new deal for Brendan Rodgers
It bodes well for next season, especially with a play off round to negotiate if we want to be playing Champions League football again next season, which will be the third of Brendan Rodgers’ three years on his current contract. The week after the last game, whether that’s trophy day at Celtic Park or the Scottish Cup final at Hampden is when we’re likely to hear about the manager’s situation and hopefully a new deal.
That is actually linked to the ambition that the club is prepared to show in the transfer market in the summer. Brendan Rodgers has given a commitment to see out his contract – he did that when he returned – and after the fall-out from his exit to Leicester City there will be no repeat shock departure. But after next summer he could be off if there isn’t an agreement reached this summer.
Dermot Desmond chats to the manager regularly and there was that meeting Dublin a few months back. Our largest shareholder is the man to sort this one out.
One thing that would certainly frustrate Celtic’s summer transfer business would be any potential incoming players being unsure of the manager’s long term status at the club. Just look at what has happened to Kyogo at Rennes!
Celtic got close in Munich and Brendan Rodgers will fancy achieving his stated goal of returning Celtic to being a force in European football. For more progress next season he needs to be backed in the transfer market this summer. Let’s get it done Dermot! More of this please…
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
Two months before every transfer window opens we hear rumours of who we are tracking but how many of these linked players have ever signed?
Any……… say at all, nope I can’t think of a single one. The Danish striker, Kvisgarten, who we have linked with in the last three windows is now out of our price range. If we wouldn’t pay €7.5M for him three windows ago then we are not paying €12.5M for him now.
Our transfer deals are at best chaotic, and at worst shambolic, and have been for years. We continually wait until we sell at least one valuable asset before attempting to replace them.
I hope I’m wrong, but I think it will be like me picking my Grand National horse, get a list and stick a pin in it.