Celtic have been linked with a move for BK Häcken’s teenage Swedish star Pontus Dahbo, according to a report by FotbollDirekt.se. The 18-year-old midfielder is valued at around £3.4million and is regarded as one of the top talents coming through in Swedish football.
This has all the hallmarks of a continuation of the projects policy that basically didn’t pay dividends last year, leaving Brendan Rodgers will a surplus of players who weren’t ultimately regarded as being of a standard to play for Celtic, at that moment in time anyway.
Dahbo is apparently being watched by numerous top clubs around Europe, thus the hefty valuation. He has been a regular in the youth level of international football for Sweden and certainly appears to have a decent pedigree. Dahbo is regarded as the nation’s second best emerging talent behind Tottenham-bound Lucas Bergvall.
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The teenager is reportedly happy at BK Häcken but as his current contract runs out early next year, you can see the motivation on his club looking to cash in at this stage, with the price set as high as possible. Maybe Celtic will monitor the situation, as you would imagine that there are higher priorities that another project signing who is unlikely to force his way into the Celtic first team.
What about Daniel Kelly and Rocco Vata, the two youngsters we should be looking at putting pen to paper and they’ll cost nothing in transfer fees!
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Bara dagar efter att Sead Haksabanovic har sålts till Malmö FF så uppges nu Celtic titta mot Sverige igen.https://t.co/zU5pOdyJLL
— FotbollDirekt.se (@FotbollDirekt) June 28, 2024
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I know at this stage of the transfer market, it’s nothing more than speculation that can be worked upon, especially when no one actually knows the plans of Rodgers for the season ahead?
So a glorified guessing game remains?
Yet an overall squad has to be formed, to hopefully match them plans of Rodgers?
As a club, we tend to have an obsession with this project tag?
Yet Matt Oreily arrived as a so called project, and in the space of two and half seasons, we have now got a possible 25M plus player on our hands, who many, including myself should be still at the euros imo?
So we are far more of a development club, where players can tend to outgrow our wage structure available to themselves?
But we still have no idea upon what the situation is regarding the future of Oreily at present?
So a midfield 3 of Calmac, Hatate and Oreily, hardly has ourselves in a financial position to buy the so called challengers for there starting positions?
Iwata, I personally believe has a big role to play next season for ourselves, as cover for calmac and being able to manage his game time far better imo?
Yet we still haven’t got such cover for Hatate and Oreily as things stand imo?
So another more experienced player as cover is still essential for ourselves, especially when mooy and Oreily were so effective for ourselves in our historic treble winning season?
Even Kelly remains a so called project player, but believe that the majority of our support would like to see him sign a new contract?
I still believe that there is space for ourselves to be having 2 midfield players as young development players within our squad, especially when they have potential to add and play a role within our squad next season, even if there game time could be fairly limited imo?
Such an interest in adding another young midfield player to our ranks, raises the question moreso on Holm?
Personally believe that Holm would benefit from a loan move myself, but that changes if Kelly wants to move on?
What I’m unclear upon, is this is the second so called young project player we have been linked to, and without knowing what decisions Vata and Kelly are going to make?
As Kelly and vata could be regarded as B list players for CL, mainly due to their age, does that mean there is a potential loophole available to ourselves with signing 18 year old players, who could fit into the homegrown rule players for ourselves 3 years down the road?
If so, would have to say that the club and Rodgers, might be looking at the bigger picture with the future, than just solely concentrating upon the present?
Wouldn’t have to many complaints if such a strategy was introduced into our club imo?
Especially when we should be looking to form a core squad for a number of seasons ahead, regardless of the changes which will occur yearly upon the player’s involved in that core for ourselves imo?