A report from the Watford Observer believes that the newly-promoted English Premier League club are locked in talks with Hibs regarding Josh Doig.
The report claims that the talks are centering around a deal that could be worth around £4million. This is quite a leap from what’s been reported in the past when it’s come to Doig’s potential fee.
Stephen McGowan of the Daily Mail stated two weeks ago that Celtic could snap Doig up for as little as £1.2m [Scottish Daily Mail, print edition, 08/05, page 115]. However, English reports believe a jump of £2.7m is being discussed in Watford’s case.
Celtic were linked with Doig back in January along with the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal [Sky Sports]. It was claimed by Sky that the Hoops were prepping for an offer this summer. As things stand, however, we’ve yet to even confirm our new manager.
Doig has had a stunning breakthrough campaign in Leith under Jack Ross. He’ll be part of this weekend’s Scottish Cup final after already making 34 appearances this season alone [Transfermarkt].
£4million for Josh Doig would change the landscape for Celtic
Some will argue whether Hibs would want as much as that for Doig. Especially when you take into the fact their owner, Ron Gordon, said yesterday that the club is now bleeding cash after the Covid pandemic [Que Golazo Podcast].
Granted, it wouldn’t surprise you if Hibs were simply being aggressive. If they’ve lost a ton of finance due to Covid, they’ll want to hype up their top stars as much as possible. Doig is one of those, and considering the potential he has at only 19, that’s worth plenty.
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But whilst this looked a good deal at £1.2m, £4m is a touch steep. No, it’s not that Celtic couldn’t afford it, but we have to take a look and identify what our priorities are this summer. Do we really need to sign Doig more than we need three top-class centre-backs in the door? More than we need a top-drawer replacement for Odsonne Edouard?
Doig looks a great prospect and a superb buy. Unfortunately, however, he’s not our most important target this summer. Quite the opposite in fact. Celtic have a host of issues to deal with before they splash as much as £4m on him.
There’s nothing wrong with getting around the table with Hibs in any case. Should the new manager want to chase this one up, there could easily be some wiggle room.
Signing the left-back would certainly be a crowd-pleaser, but Celtic also need to be smart with their money this summer. If £4m is indeed Hibs’ new asking price, that’s a problem.