[Official TC Thread] Celtic 25/26 Summer transfer window: Stage: Pain is nearly at an end

I swear we're a social experiment when it comes to transfers. We let Kyogo and Kuhn skip out the door with no replacements at all yet now we're wanting to hold on to Idah and Yang until we replace them

Tillio as well had his move stalled for a couple of weeks as we needed the numbers then we let him go without having brought anyone else in

 

I'm sorry Brendan, but that is a pile of utter codswallop and you know it. This inactivity during transfer windows happens every * time and you have been the manager for about what, 9 or 10 of them now? If everyone is connected and there are no issues, then why are you and your captain almost literally begging for signings this week!?

 

Crazy stuff

 

Rodgers - who confirmed he'd be in the market for TWO new forward if Idah was to depart - said: "Well, Adam had been out for a number of days before the last game and came in.

"I'm quite relaxed on it. I just need to see where we're at over the course of the next couple of days and then we'll assess it from there."

Birmingham City are also chasing the signature of Yang and Rodgers admits the South Korean winger would probably had left earlier in the summer - had the Hoops conducted their own transfer business quicker.

He said: "I think for the likes of Yang, it's been ongoing for Yang for a little while. I understand it.

"When you're a player that's probably been mostly used maybe as a squad player over a couple of years, there comes a point in time when you maybe want to move on and play.

"But I've been unable to do that because we've needed Yang here. But I also know that if he does stay, he has a contribution to make because we need five, six wingers because of the number of games we play, the intensity that we want to play.

"But there has been interest in him. Yet again, I repeat, I can't really do anything unless we have players in."

 

And I'm very hopeful that we can close the window out over the next few days with getting the signings that's going to give us that real depth in the squad that we need.”

 

Ok Peter

 

Rodgers joining in the gaslighting of the support now.

 

The fact we seem prepared to lose Idah is a good sign that we must be confident of Dolberg coming in.

The other player i expect to be a loan from EPL or likes of Bowie from Hibs

 

Thought it was Paul

 

Nicholson must get some sadomasochism pleasure from doing a dozen deals at the window, because why can't you juggle more than one deal over the past 3 months ?

So reactionary.

 

I'm this close to calling him a rhat.

 

Can we get an update on Adam Idah's future? I believe he's away down to have a medical at Swansea. Is that correct?

There's interest in Adam. But, obviously, no one can leave here unless we get players in to replace. It's as simple as that. There's been negotiations and chatter around it, but I have to have players in here before I can consider letting anyone go.

Is that a big concern just given the fact that you've been wanting to strengthen your front line for quite a while now and there's now talk of potentially Adam and I think there was a link to Yang in Birmingham today as well?

It's been ongoing for Yang for a little while. I understand that when you're a player that's probably been mostly used as a squad player over a couple of years, there comes a point in time and then you maybe want to move on and play.

But I've been unable to do that because we've needed Yang here. I also know that if he does stay, he has a contribution to make because we need five, six wingers because of the number of games we play, the intensity that we want to play. But there has been interest in him. Yet again, I repeat, I can't really do anything unless we have players in.




In terms of strengthening, getting potential replacements in to maybe allow people to move out, do you feel you're any closer to that? I know Michel-Ange Balikwisha, obviously, was confirmed last night.

It's great. We're getting a player in the building that we've seen for a period of time over the last year, and I like his talent and I think he's got that skill set to play for Celtic, you know, he's an exciting player who works very, very hard.

I'm delighted to get him in. We have Marcelo Saracchi in the building as well, so hopefully that'll be that'll be all agreed and signed off within a matter of hours.

He gives us that cover that we need for Kieran Tierney in his position. And I'm very hopeful that we can, you know, close the window out over the next few days with getting the signings that's going to give us that real depth in the squad that we need.







Celtic trying to do business so late in the window. Why do you think that culture is so hard to change?

There are so many reasons as to why transfers don't get done and don't get done in time. I just know that as a football manager and coach, you bring in a player in the 1st of July as well as you can. You've maybe scouted him and looked at him and done a lot of the work. You bring him in 1st of July. He's got time to adapt, not just to football life, but his family moving out of hotels, getting into apartments, houses, whatever else. And then when you get to your games, like your competitive games, the games that matter. They're settled then and ready.

The example of the young guy at Brugge there during the week, you know, 6 million pound winger. He's signed. He comes in and does his work and makes a difference. So, for us as a football club, it's not about investment either, because this club will invest. The club's super well run. The investment is there. We need to look at the timing of the investment.

And does that go back to recruitment? Does it go back to identification? All these different facets, but what I do know is we have to be better at it. So, it's not about investment. The club will invest. We'll see over the next few days. I'm pretty sure we'll invest. But we want to get the timing of investment important, just to give us every single chance to be the best version of Celtic that we can be.

How hopeful are you that this time next year that is something that can be changed?

Well, that's that's we have to discuss. We have to look at that and and I'd be very hopeful. We've got a major owner in Dermot Desmond who's a super-intelligent guy. We've got board of directors who bleed for the club. They want the club to do well.

So, everyone here's connected. It's not, you know, why I see and I hear all these stories of disconnection. It can't be further from the truth. Every single guy from me, the board, Dermot, we love Celtic, but we want Celtic to be the very, very best.

There's a business model that you see works so well. I want to try and ensure the football model works equally as well. So, it's fluent and agile and we keep ahead of the game. So, when we lose players, we're not in this cycle of waiting, waiting, waiting, standing still and missing out on competitions that we want to be in. So, that's the that's the idea hopefully, over the coming months.

This time last year, you said very much the same thing that a club like Celtic cannot be going into the final weekend of the transfer window when they do business. Was there a discussion about this last year? Did you sit down and talk to people about this last year? Does that have to be revisited because lessons haven't been learned?

Probably if you if you look at what Ange has said, what Neil Lennon's said, what someone else said, it would be around about the same. So that's what I'm saying, it's a trend. So we need to understand that. We need to understand that from a football context. Because you want to be as well-equipped as you possibly can. And like I said, it's not about investment. The club will invest. But it's all about timely investment, and I think that it's most definitely what we need to look at.




Is there a sense of frustration that you're getting players in now after the Champions League play off games? Is there a sense of frustration there?

Listen, I don't want to feed anyone any negativity around the club because it's been enough of that. The job now is for us all to connect, the team, the supporters and everyone push forward in the same direction, knowing that, yeah, this here behind the scenes, we have to look at. There's absolutely no doubt about that. But in the meantime, we can't be frustrated and look backwards. You know, we have to understand that.

We will definitely have to improve that if we're going to continue moving forward. But in the meantime, I have to drive the team and look to get the team forward in the best possible mindset and and look forward to the challenges ahead.

Just on the stance on Adam, not going until you get somebody else, is that going to be a sign that the lessons have been learned from January, when obviously Kyogo left and wasn't replaced?

I just think it's logical and it's common sense. You know, we're really light in that area of the field. And I'm pretty sure there'll be a number of clubs that want some of our players. But there's absolutely no way we can move anyone out unless we have absolute guarantees that there's going to be people to come in to replace.

When you sold Nicolas Kuhn, there was an expectation that he would be replaced in time for the Champions League qualifiers.

I think we all thought that would have been the case, yeah.

You sympathise with the supporters' frustrations. They just want the best for the club and they want to see the club move forward. And it seems like there's an alignment between what you're saying, what the supporters want, what the captain's saying, getting them in early, getting them in at crucial times. And then there's a sort of roadblock that supporters can't understand. They just see things not happening, and they see the fallout from that and they get frustrated themselves.

Yeah, 100%. Like the other night, I walked down to see the supporters before the game and and I don't normally do that because, you know, I'm normally inside. But I saw a 77-year-old guy standing on the side of the stand the other day, looking in, ready to watch the game. And I'm looking at him and thinking, "Christ, this poor guy has traveled."

He's probably got loads of connections to get to the game. It's our duty to make sure the likes of him and all our supporters are served the best possible team we can. So, I know that better than anyone. That's my job to try and make sure that we can in the future be better equipped to give the best possible team on the pitch. And like I say, Dermot wants that, the board will want that. But we have to find a way to make it happen. Otherwise, it's absolutely okay saying what you want to do. But you've got to act on it. You've got to make it happen.







Just for players coming in, Brendan, you've been linked to Kasper Dolberg, the Danish striker. Can you say anything about that at the moment?

Not as of yet. There are obviously a number of players that we're looking at that we need to bring in, especially on the front line. But I think we'll be pretty busy and active over the coming days.

If Adam were to leave Brendan, would you be looking for two strikers to come in?
Ideally. Yeah.

 

He's been doing it from the start. I've always viewed Rodgers as a board apologist more than anything else.

Occasionally he'll lightly mention that we need more (stating the obvious), but he's never mirrored the Celtic fans when it comes to our frustrations with the board and lack of progress.

It's all very tame and tepid. I'm not expecting him to go guns blazing or do a Conte/Mourinho but * me, don't gaslight us and then moan afterwards that you didn't have quality to beat a bunch of farmers from Kazakhstan. Having your cake and eating it comes to mind.

 

Painful having to hear / read a lot of that because its clearly not true.

 

Idah and Yang out for £8m

Tounekti, Dohlberg, Roberts in for £15m

 

He seems pretty confident we’ll have investment next few days…. Something must have changed behind the scene for him to say it… SURELY

 

Id be delighted if we got Bowie tbh

 

* imagine Conte working under that Celtic board