Obviously Man City and Celtic aren’t on the same financial level when it comes to signing players for the first team, but there are large parts of the football operation that operate in similar circles.
Celtic have excelled in the transfer market in the past few years by signing talented players from abroad before developing them and selling them on for a profit – something that City look to do as well.
You’ll often see the two clubs linked with the same players, but they just have very different plans in mind for the player once they join.
While Celtic look to get them in the team as soon as possible, City treat them as assets by loaning them out for years before using them as collateral in transfers or just selling them on for a profit.
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It’s easy to disagree with that practice in principle because it goes against what most fans will believe in, but it does mean that a recent report from The Sun makes sense from a Celtic point of view.
They claim that Celtic are looking to bring in Fergal Harkin as their new Director of Football – He’s currently employed by City as their Football Partnerships Manager.
Man City are slowly starting to build partnerships with clubs all over the globe so it gives them an advantage when it comes to signing players from various countries, but they often loan guys to these clubs to help them develop too.
It’s that type of player that Celtic will also be looking to target in the transfer market, and the report indicates that he will have an intimate knowledge of a lot of these players from the work he’s done with City.
If he is able to play a part in unearthing the next Eddy, Wanyama, van Dijk or Frimpong then that can only be a good thing, while the club’s recruitment has been dreadful this season so something does need to be done.
It’s also been pointed out that Celtic have benefitted from signing Ntcham and Frimpong from City in recent years, so this could also help to strengthen that partnership and provide a few more similar signings.
