Former Celtic midfielder Peter Grant knows his way around the English Championship and understands what an absolute honour it is for a young Celtic supporter to represent the club and go onto establish himself in the Celtic first team.
So he is ideally qualified to pass comment on the strange decision announced this week that after rejecting a contract offer from Celtic Daniel Kelly has opted to sign a pre-contract agreement with Millwall.
Both clubs are now in discussions about an acceptable agreement that will see Kelly depart Celtic Park in this transfer window, with Celtic looking for a fee of around £500k plus add-ons included in the deal. Millwall can opt to wait until 1st January 2024 and pay just half that sum as a cross-border development fee.
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Both Daniel Kelly and Rocco Vata were offered new deals by Celtic with Brendan Rodgers giving assurances that both would be involved in the first team squad this season. Yet Vata opted for Watford and Kelly for Millwall, with Peter Grant being particularly surprised by the latter decision from a player Brendan showed considerable faith in last season.
Grant gave his thoughts on this transfer news, telling Go Radio: “I’m really surprised. He got a couple of opportunities last season and did very well, I was impressed with him.
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“He had good energy, he looks as if he’s got a good football brain. He scored a great goal in one of the games I was at. But I don’t know who is guiding these boys. Millwall or Celtic? Come on. I can’t understand it.
“Listen, if I’ve got a fighting chance at Celtic to play or go to Millwall? Come on. There’s no comparison.
“You’ve got to be willing to fight for a place. My biggest thing that I would have said is ‘Am I ever going to get a chance no matter how well I do? Am I consistently going to be in the team and get an opportunity to get on the pitch?’
“If the answer is no, fine. That means Celtic don’t think that highly of you either. But if they are saying they are giving him a very good offer and opportunities, I’ve got to trust that’s what the club are doing. But to leave Celtic to go to Millwall? It just doesn’t sit right with me.”
Last Friday Callum McGregor announced that he was retiring from international football to concentrate on his Celtic career. That has probably got four or five years remaining. Kelly could and should have been eyeing being a natural successor to Callum, coming through the Celtic Academy, a Celtic supporter and a future Celtic captain in the making.
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If the club was seeing it that way then Kelly would surely have been given ample opportunity to shine under Brendan Rodgers, just like Callum McGregor back in 2016 when the Celtic manager arrived at the club first time around.
When you consider that Watford, Millwall and stoke city are preferred destinations, than staying with ourselves, leaves a very sour taste imo?
This homegrown rule quota doesn’t look like changing anytime soon either?
So 3 potential young players decide to want to move on, rather than fight for a place and earn a place within our homegrown quota requirements?
Doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever?
What are there chances of ever being involved within CL football now?
Certainly won’t be with the clubs they have opted to join, that’s for sure?
Personally think this is more of a game time available to themselves imo?
But trying to run before they have learnt to walk, hardly makes much sense either imo?
If it’s a money issue, then wouldn’t say the 3 teams involved are actually paying much more than we would offer, if that’s even the case?
So wouldn’t say it’s an issue where our Club could be held responsible for developing over the summer imo?
Fail to see how the choices these young potential players, are going to be the right decisions taken by themselves either imo?
So potentially have to look at who is actually advising these player’s at present?
Which is something that is totally out of our hands imo?
Worrying development all the same, and without a simple solution either to be found imo?
I’d say it’s big agents company that the have signed for for thousands up front only player will tell you he ha got in with a bad deal and been forced into moves if not that then what Celtic should find out why these players are signing for these clubs maybe bright lights of London but it is suspicious yes going to bigger league
We know these things happen in south America where promising young players how signed there life away and had to get transferred every two or three seasons real Madrid Barcelona Paris club all have training schools south America and Africa asain league to cut these agents out
Down in English Premier and Championship football league’s no one really interested in Scottish league as it’s boring with just Rangers and Celtic and that’s about it really.
Championship football is exciting to watch and Millwall play more active teams and much more exciting.
There is a chance Daniel Kelly know this and chose Millwall above Celtic.
Sorry Mr Grant and Rogers, best you get over it.
Millwood and Chsmpioship is better.
Millwood and Millwall are both bigger.
Time will tell all. If there’s something dodgy going on it will come out or maybe it’s just plain old greed and a lack of loyalty for the people who enabled you to be in a position millions of young lads can only dream of. Good luck to them but they might be making the biggest mistake they will ever make and they will be asking themselves What IF and they deffo ain’t celtic fans no celtic fan would turn there back on that opportunity.
Let’s hope we don’t get drawn against Millwall or Watford in the champions league games