Another one that got away – and this time we’ve got the agent’s own explanation for why it never happened.
Celtic’s failed pursuit of Gvidas Gineitis has been explained in blunt terms by the player’s own representative, who says our Champions League play-off exit reduced the chances of the move ever getting done. The 22-year-old Torino midfielder stayed in Turin after a summer of speculation, with Celtic instead crashing out 5-4 on aggregate to LASK Linz having led the tie 4-0.
The explanation comes from Gineitis’s agent, Dmitri Vinokurov, in comments made to Lithuanian outlet LRT, not any official Celtic statement. According to Vinokurov, personal terms with his client were never even reached, and he believes qualification for the group stages would have changed Celtic’s calculations entirely.
A Valuation Gap That Never Closed
Gineitis had been linked with Celtic throughout the summer window, but the deal stalled over the numbers. Torino reportedly wanted around £13m, while Celtic were only willing to go to roughly £9m – a gap that, by the agent’s account, reflected genuine disagreement within Celtic’s own hierarchy rather than simple reluctance from the coaching staff.
Vinokurov said the interest from Celtic’s coaches and football people was real, pointing to a video call in which the club’s staff were said to be positive about the player. But he suggested not everyone in the boardroom shared that enthusiasm, and when it comes to fees of that size, it only takes one dissenting voice among the decision-makers to sink a deal.
What Champions League Football Would Have Bought
The agent’s central point is straightforward: had Celtic beaten LASK and secured Champions League football, he believes the club would have both the extra revenue and the heightened ambition to meet Torino’s asking price. Our financial position took a hit from missing out on that windfall, and it’s hard to argue the timing was coincidental – the deal collapsed in the same window as the LASK humiliation.
Vinokurov also argued Celtic’s size and support – 60,000 at every home game, top facilities – remain genuine selling points regardless of European tier, and that a move from Glasgow could still be a stepping stone toward the Premier League for his client. Celtic did bring in six new faces before the window shut, but Gineitis, capped 29 times by Lithuania, wasn’t among them, and our recruitment plans shifted accordingly once Europa League football became the reality.
For now, Gineitis remains a Torino player, and Celtic move on without him – another reminder of how much hinged on those two legs against LASK. The wider fallout from that exit is still being felt in how this squad was shaped. Mon The Hoops.
