Virgil van Dijk

I know the version of events that Joe Ledley gave. Like I said, it seems like an easy way out for a guy who didn't like the terms he'd been offered. It just doesn't make sense to me that we would let his contract run down so much. If we didn't want him I'm certain he would have been sold earlier to maximise profit, a la Matthews.

I can't find any source on us refusing talks. I know that we accepted a bid but that seemed to me out of desperation because we didn't think he was going to sign another contract.

He done the exact same thing at his boyhood club, I don't find it a coincidence that it happened again.

I think we're a touch off topic. Just give us £10m for Van Dijk please :icon_mrgreen:

 

Hooper was very upfront and clear that he felt ne needed to be playing in the epl to have a shot at getting an England call up. Obviously to say the move to Norwich has been a disaster for him is an understatement. It was playing for Celtic in the champions league that got him into the England conversation. Making the move to whom he did was a big mistake and I said so at the time. But you could see where he was coming from wanting to move to the epl. But Norwich being the club he chose was a big mistake.
Hooper leaving was one I was really gutted about at the time. He could have go on to become a huge icon if he had stayed at Celtic. Even if the Norwich move had not have been such a complete disaster from a form and goals standpoint playing for Norwich was never going to do anything for his career. But now given how badly its gone it has been a massive disaster for his career.

 

Done the same thing we done with Samaras. The big difference between Matthews and they two is Lenny wanted them here.

Ledley wanted to be here, I know this for a fact.

 

I believe Ledley wanted to stay. I no doubt believe we were offering him a * contract aswell and basically playing hard ball and then accepting a fee and telling him that was it. I mean look at the Commons situation - a guy who would probably retire with us and has never spoke about leaving and his wife loves it here. I mean we continuously lowered Lenny's wages aswell when he played for us. Peter Lawwell tactics written all over it.

I don't think this is smart business though. Surely we should give them the £25k-£30k a week, then sell them for more as they have a longer contract?

 

Source? Other than anything said in the media.

I mean I can see a situation where he would have been happy to stay here, if we paid him a certain amount of money. Seems to me that we offered him something that was below his valuation. Same goes with Samaras really.

 

Well he had already said in the media and his first interview at Palace, other than that I knew people who were friendly with him up here.

 

Was it not said by someone at celtic he had a contract offer on the table...

 

About two weeks before we accepted the bid, he'd been wanting a new one for about 18 months.

Celtic didn't make the effort.

Personally I think Lawwell just wanted to offload him off the wages, he was a high earner.

We also said the same about Samaras btw

 

Ledley said there was a contract on the table, if he wanted to sign it he could have. He said he was going to sign it, but he never did. We couldn't let him leave for nothing so we were forced into accepting an offer for him. If Ledley wanted to stay he could have.

 

Could have had him tied up to a new deal after his first of second year, but we left it far too late. Even if he wanted to move down south could have given him a pay rise and said he can leave for the right price. We lost out with him, could have got much more than the 5 million we had to settle for.

 

I agree. I would be happier if he bungled the negotiation but it did seem like it was coordinated. Alarm bells started ringing for me when Joe left the club. I hope Lawwell just * it up but the likelihood is he didnt

 

We had two years to offer them both a contract, well enough time, both showed even after the first season they where great signings. Hooper would have been on around 8k-12k a week easy, Celtic could have doubled that no problem after a season or even two. Could have done the same as we did with Petrov and collected a bigger fee.

Again just my opinion but I feel the * up big time.

 

I said in another thread today that we must tie up the rest of our players. Bitton, Stokes, Griff, and Johanson in particular.

 

And that's pretty much the problem right there, because he wants to stay you can treat him anyway you want and offer anything and he'll still be here.

Meanwhile in real life it doesn't work that way.

Done the same thing to Jackie Mac. Done it to Lenny too, just worked in our favour that time.

 

This ^^^

 

People will believe what they want to believe.

Ledley's been with quite a big agency and if they decide to fill Ledley's head full of what they would call good advice, to maximize his financial potential, that's what they will do.

Do people honestly believe that because someone took the huff for missing a meeting, that's a reason for his agent to pull the plug on a deal? Of course it isn't. There is a lot of money at stake. More, if a move happens. And the chances of Ledley dictating to his agent what he wants is probably quite high.

Problems arise when they say, "You know you've been at Celtic a while, you're value is high enough to get this sort of a wage. All the add-ons too. Agents' fees, incentives etc.

 

“I can only speak for myself on this one and I can say hand on heart that my players have only ever gone where they have wanted to go…I can’t speak for others. (Ledley's agent)

 

\o/ - although you believe that friends of Ledley claim he wanted to stay, how can this be proven as genuine and not just trying to prevent bitter/ill feeling at his wish to leave?
Whats said between friends (some of whom may be celtic fans) and said between agents- who look out for the personal agenda of the player, may be totally different.
He sat out the remainder of his contract at Cardiff, is it coincidence that its happened again with us?
Id love to believe that money played no part and that he didnt feel wanted.
I think he made wage demands which were outwith what Lawell was willing to operate with.
Im not sure i buy the "i didnt feel wanted". Tens of thousands of Celtic fans wanted him to stay.

 

How can we justify offering Stokes a new deal, given how many games of last season he missed?

Im not sure of how much his off the field problems have been his fault, with regard to multiple court appearences. I dont know enough about it but id imagine Deila is the sort of character who would grow tired of off the field issues.

 

Aye, he could have been lying in public and in private. It's a possibility, obviously.

I don't really think so though.