Belgian outfit OH Leuven have grown impatient with Celtic for how they’ve approached a potential move for Thomas Henry, according to the Daily Record.
Celtic were first linked with the Frenchman last week. The Scottish Sun reported that he was Ange Postecoglou’s first-choice replacement for Odsonne Edouard. However, with the latter still at Parkhead and no sign of a departure imminent, it’s appeared to stall any move to sign Henry.
The Record is now reporting that an agreement has been reached between Leuven and domestic rivals Gent. A £4.5m fee looks like being enough to get the wheels in motion over Henry’s departure.
As quoted by the newspaper, a source in Belgium said the following:
“It seems that Leuven’s board of directors became impatient with Celtic for lingering without making a concrete offer. The player is now very close to finalising an agreement with Gent. The deal is not 100 percent finished yet but it is around 95 percent complete.”
Celtic already seeing the cons of Odsonne Edouard delay
For many, keeping Edouard at Parkhead for a longer period will have been brilliant for the club. After all, if you can hold on to top talents for as long as possible, the better right?
Not necessarily. If Henry does complete a move to Gent, we’ll already be feeling the cons of Edouard not moving quicker this summer.
If Henry is indeed Postecoglou’s top choice to replace Edouard, this is a major blow. It’s halting a vital piece of the restructuring work that the manager wants to complete. We know Edouard won’t be here for the long-term, so whilst keeping him for a shorter period looks good at face value, that’s not the case if it’s putting the long-term restructuring at risk.
In truth, Edouard isn’t to blame here. He has every right to stall on moves that he doesn’t think are the best for him and his career. Or it could even be the case that clubs haven’t even made Celtic or the player a substantive enough offer.
Celtic have to be prepared for every eventuality. Why we didn’t move for Henry regardless of Edouard’s short-term future is questionable. We should still have plenty of money left to burn on transfers. It shouldn’t have been dependent on Edouard’s departure.
If Celtic miss out on Henry it will be typically frustrating of this football club. Hopefully, we’re not paying the price come January.
In other news, Liam Scales would provide much-needed depth for Celtic in two different areas
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
