WE have had to wait 6 months but this afternoon there is a chance that we will see Brendan Rodgers’ final signing for Celtic in action. Vakoun Bayo did come on for a few minutes down at Rugby Park – the day Scott Brown won the league – but we’ve not had any chance to see why Kolo Toure recommended to Rodgers that he should sign Bayo from Slovakian side Dunajská Streda in the January window.
Bayo got married on the day that Celtic lost at Ibrox in December. He then completed his deal to move to Glasgow – speaking little English – and then picked up a bad injury, a ruptured hamstring while away on international duty.
These eventful six months though have given Bayo some time to get himself used to Scotland, the different culture and the language and he certainly seems to have improved on that regard, giving an interviews to the Celtic media team over in Austria. He’s also had to watch on and see Toure – the man responsible for bringing him to Glasgow – leave with Rodgers within a few months of him arriving at Celtic and obviously a new manager coming in who had never seen him play.
This week Neil Lennon has gone out of his way to praise Bayo for his performances in the training matches and Celtic TV captured his first goal that we’ve seen while wearing a Celtic jersey over in Austria. It all points to him settling in and getting ready to make an impact in the Hoops.
BAYO! ????????
Wonder goal from #CelticFC’s number ???? at his first pre-season training session abroad with the Bhoys! ????#TurnUpTheHeat pic.twitter.com/CNpel8f8QB
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) June 25, 2019
“I’m really happy to be here on my first pre-season tour with Celtic,” he told the official Celtic site.
“It’s very warm here in Austria, but that’s nothing new for me because I’m from Africa. Our training programmes have been challenging, but I feel good for it and I’ve enjoyed everything so far.
“I picked up an injury not long after singing for Celtic back in January, but now it’s better and I’m fully fit and ready to go. It’s great to be back on the training pitch, and now I can’t wait to get playing.
“The manager has said to me on a few occasions that I’ve performed well at training. He told me that I’ve done very well, and that, of course, makes me very, very happy. It’s great for my confidence and I hope to repay him with good performances when it comes to matchday.”
Bayo didn’t feature in the 6-1 win over Austrian minnows SC Pinkafeld on Wednesday but is likely to get some game time in at least one of the remaining two tour matches, perhaps this afternoon in the 5.30pm kick-off (Celtic Park time) game against Austrian side, Wiener SC at the Sportklub Stadium, which is being shown live on Celtic TV.
“I don’t know when my first game will be here on the summer training camp, it might be Saturday or Tuesday. I also don’t know if I’ll start, but no matter what, I’m really looking forward to it. I can’t wait to get out there and get myself off the mark on the goal front,” Bayo said.
As a French speaker Bayo was delighted to hear yesterday that Celtic had signed the French defender Christopher Jullien from Toulouse.
“Christopher Jullien coming in, from a personal perspective, is great for me in that it’s another French player in the dressing room. I love the Glasgow accent, but it’s so fast. Sometimes I’m not sure what Scott Brown, for example, is saying, but I try my best. But Scott is a great, great player and is so good with everyone away from the pitch too.”
The Saturday Star Supplement...
When the opening bid for Kieran Tierney arrived in Peter Lawwell’s inbox, I don’t believe any Celtic fan was truly shocked or worried. The day when an offer arrives for your star player is always heartbreaking for the fans. You hope and pray that the player(s) belief in the jersey and the cause is ironclad. That player is KT.
However, I do believe any offer(s) is a testament to all the hard work that’s gone into developing Kieran. In a timeline, from Ronny Delia right through to Neil Lennon, KT has developed into a tremendous talent, consistently brilliant in every game whether at home in Scotland or in Europe.
Kieran is a 24/7 athlete who can powerfully run and chase for miles. I believe the saving grace for Celtic is one of two things:
1. So far at least, there is no bidding war, there’s only one chaser club and that’s Arsenal (transfer budget = £45 million).
2. No English club is willing to admit a player from humble Scotland is worth upwards of twenty-five million plus.
Continue reading The Saturday Star Supplement by James Pearson HERE.
Zombie Meltdown! ‘The steak in Aldi tastes just as good as Marks and Spencer’s but it’s half the price,’ Billy in East Kilbride…you just have to listen to this. It is hilarious…click HERE.
