Rejecting the bids for Arne Engels was the Celtic board’s only option, and it more than proves the financial muscle we carry. So why not use it?…
Arne Engels was the subject of a desparate deadline day bid by Nottingham Forest who made THREE bids for the Belgian, the last of which was a massive £25 million, a huge figure, but the club stood firm and rebuffed all approaches, repeatedly telling the English Premier League club that the player was NOT for sale in this transfer window.
Many were surprised that our usually cash hungry board withstood the temptation to cash in on a player they paid £11 million for on just 18 months ago in a move from Bundesliga side Augsburg. However the truth is they had no other option as cashing in on the midfielder would have unleashed a wave of protest in their direction, much more than they’ve been experiencing over these past few months.
Cashing in on a player who is a regular first team starter, and one who is seen as vital in the eyes of Martin O’Neill would have been the final straw in the eyes of the supporters, and the management team for that matter. It might have been different if they had a quality replacement lined up but the lack of planning coupled with poor decision making is a feature of how things are run at Celtic under the current CEO Michael Nicholson.
What’s been overlooked a little due to the hysteria created over such a eye watering bid, is the very fact that Celtic is in a such position to turn down such an offer, a figure that no one else in the league would dare refuse.
That figure would sit alongside the fee we received for Kieran Tierney, Jota, and Matt O’Riley, had we accepted it. £100 million for four players, that is incredible in our current landscape.
Those previous bids were accepted without hesitation, but to do so this time would cause a fresh round of animosity, and the board knew it. To refuse such an offer also proves that we are in a terrific position financially, there is no doubt about that.
But it has to be asked, once again, why on earth don’t we put that financial power to good use and build a squad who can dominate domestically whilst making an impact in Europe?
Brendan Rodgers left due to this type of miserly behaviour, when he could have taken us to the next level if he was handed a just a fraction of the wealth we hoard in the bank.
The argument used against Rodgers was that the club backed him in the summer 2024 window and the Board couldn’t see the financial model work when signing players like Engels around the £10m mark rather than the £2m punts so favoured by those in the Celtic boardroom.
Nottingham Forest blew that argument out the water yesterday with their £25m bid for a player Celtic signed for £11m.
Martin O’Neill could have also put those riches to good use, but more importantly so can the next man who is chosen to become manager of Celtic Football Club, something that we’ve been looking at on The Celtic Star today.
Watch this…
Arne Engels was the big transfer that didn't come to fruition in Scotland on Deadline Day, but will Celtic regret turning down £25m? 🍀
"It's maybe a calculated gamble" – @RaeComm 🗣️
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Just an Ordinary Bhoy
The answer to your question is nothing more than corporate greed, they cornered themselves with the Engels bid as the squad is now thread bare and just like Desmond not fit for purpose, the answer is easy stop giving them your money
The greedy bastards are probably crying they couldn’t take the money. They don’t give a fuck about Celtic. Only money.
This is a mess of Celtic’s own making. They are run by utter incompetents, Desmond made his money with a lucky punt on selling land which has now become London City Airport, due to the intelligence of those who bought the land from him. His son is a loser who was born into a rich family. I would bet he and his son have contributed nothing personally for society or humanity in general. There is a massive difference between intelligence and cunning, the former which they lack and the latter which they have in abundance.
Nicholson is an utter failure, not only at the job, but also as a human being, and he only got the job as he was a friend of Lawwell junior at school. Others on the board are what could only be described as old farts and incompetents. They have managed to bring about the perilous situation our club finds itself in. This is why we cannot accept the money for Engels. There has been no plan to keep the squad improving and so the situation becomes the driver.
Celtic do not have the good name any more that they built up under The Bunnet, Fergus McCann. Now there was a good human being; a humble, but competent and confident human being, who has contributed much to society and is still doing so. He would never have got us into this situation. Also, Dom McKay was lost to us by the stupidity of Lawwell and co. Dominic was the biggest loss to our club and what he is doing now, not far from Celtic Park, is a massive success, If only he were still with us.
Those to BLAME are Lawwell, Desmond and the BOARD to a man. They are NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE.
Wouldn’t have mattered ,the money would have just sat in the bank , better off with the player for the next couple of months