“BIG DEAL” screamed the headline on the Scottish Sun’s website late last night. “Celtic on brink of winning transfer chase for £7million striker Thomas Henry from OH Leuven”…
Here’s the extent of the story which mentions the transfer fee that Celtic seem prepared to pay £7m but gives no indication at all that Celtic have somehow managed to jump ahead of numerous clubs chasing the French goalscorer who appears to be on the brink of an exit from OH Leuven, from the league that Jack Hendry was last season named as the Player of the Year.
Then the Scottish Sun Exclusive is padded out by Kyogo Furuhashi from the Celtic FC Website talking about the his Celtic Park debut on Sunday against Dundee, maybe suggesting that there’s little more to be added to the Thomas Henry story at this stage.?
If Celtic signed every player linked to the club in these circumstances we’d need the entire Main stand to house them, although that part of the ground is still going to be unavailable for supporters at the moment due to the remaining Covid protocols so we’d in the short term have the seats for hundreds of extra signings.
The extent of the story is below but what was really interesting last night was just how quickly the Celtic support reacted online and how much information was quickly and readily made available about Thomas Henry. Scouting reports appeared, footage of his goals were posted, there was a video of him apparently waving goodbye to the OH Leuven supporters, blogs re-posted previous articles from months back where they suggested the player as a possible Edouard replacement and much more.
Within half an hour of the “on brink’ of transfer exclusive those looking in had a very detailed idea of the player, what he offer Celtic and whether he’d be good value as a £7m signing – remember this time last year we’d signed Albian Ajeti for £5m and who still thinks that was a good deal?
Marvel at the Celtic fans response to the Henry rumour below after considering what they had to work with from the Scottish Sun…
CELTIC are on the brink of winning the chase for £7million French striker Thomas Henry. The Hoops are hopeful of securing a big-money deal for the prolific hitman who plays in Belgium with OH Leuven.
Several clubs were tracking Henry, but Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is now in pole position to land the forward who scored 21 goals for his club in the Belgian top flight last season.Henry, 26, is seen as the ideal replacement for Odsonne Edouard. Leuven snapped up the 6ft 4in striker for just £400,000 from Belgian rivals Tubize-Braine only two years ago.
Over the past two seasons, Henry has scored 42 times and provided 12 assists in just 75 appearances, including a goal in the 1-1 league draw with Charleroi on Sunday. That haul has led to his value rocketing, with Leuven reluctantly agreeing to cash in on their prize asset.
Henry’s arrival would soften the blow of losing Edouard, with Brighton now favourites to land his signature this month. Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Roma are also interested in the Frenchman.
A deal for Henry, to provide competition for weekend hat-trick hero Kyogo Furuhashi, would represent a major bonus for Postecoglou. He has not yet been able to call on Leigh Griffiths due to a calf problem and has restricted Albian Ajeti to just two brief sub appearances in Europe.
Thomas Henry had a great season with OHL in 2020/2021. The French striker made 21 goals in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League. Henry had also 6 assists. Pictured in the King Power Stadium Den Dreef in Leuven, 12 July 2021, two weeks before the start of the season 2021/2022. Leuven Belgium Photo: Dimitri Charles
Recent goalscoring action…
Xavier Mercier x Thomas Henry. ✔️
Highlights Cercle Brugge v OH Leuven 👉 https://t.co/572UzUV4JT#samensterker #CEROHL pic.twitter.com/t8tBaYNZOb
— Oud-Heverlee Leuven (@OHLeuven) August 2, 2021
Concrete offers from elsewhere…
ℹ|@OHLeuven Striker Thomas Henry looks set to leave. There is concrete interest and offers from @VeneziaFC_IT🇮🇹 @KAAGent🇧🇪 and @RCD_Mallorca 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/0KDVzCV8g3
— The Belgian Football Podcast (@BelgianPodcast) August 5, 2021
🇧🇪 Gent
🇪🇸 Mallorca
🇮🇹 VeneziaAll have concrete in Thomas Henry, as it stands ours is merely a rumour.
— Everything Celtic (@aboutceltic) August 9, 2021
Waving goodbye…
OHL-fans ❤️ Thomas Henry#samensterker pic.twitter.com/FoYMwO6smi
— Oud-Heverlee Leuven (@OHLeuven) August 9, 2021
Get him in…
Thomas Henry. Get him in. Big striker who scores goals. Different option. Big Jan x McDonald vibes with him partnering Kyogo.
— Kieran (@Kieran_Celtic) August 9, 2021
Scouting Report…
Celtic Scouting – Thomas Henry🇫🇷
Celtic are linked for a big move for last seasons 2nd top scorer in Belgium
BIG FURUHASHI
Runs off defenders
Physical and Aerial presence
Finds space in the box with ease
Great link up play
Deceptively quick and technical on the ballRetweet🍀 pic.twitter.com/lT24u7gPuG
— Bhoys Analytics (@BhoysAnalytics) August 9, 2021
A cynic…
The Thomas Henry rumour is one to watch over the next few days.
Classic 2230 article influx by Scottish media worded very carefully with phrases like ‘on brink’ & ‘hopeful’.
He’d be a different option up top & is an out & out goalscorer for sure.
Let’s wait & see what happens. pic.twitter.com/JuWQpQIajb
— Everything Celtic (@aboutceltic) August 9, 2021
🇫🇷 | Thomas Henry
Celtic are reportedly set to beat the likes of Newcastle, Roma & Crystal Palace to the signing of Thomas Henry for £7M.
The Frenchman scored 21 times in Belgium last season for Leuven & has three from three in the new campaign. pic.twitter.com/9xGCmukQgu
— Everything Celtic (@aboutceltic) August 9, 2021
The French view…
🇫🇷 | Thomas Henry
Celtic are reportedly set to beat the likes of Newcastle, Roma & Crystal Palace to the signing of Thomas Henry for £7M.
The Frenchman scored 21 times in Belgium last season for Leuven & has three from three in the new campaign. pic.twitter.com/9xGCmukQgu
— Everything Celtic (@aboutceltic) August 9, 2021
The Rumour spreads…
🚨💰#Celtic have made a £7m offer for Thomas #Henry to the Oud-Heverlee #Leuven team.#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/EouC40iflH
— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) August 10, 2021