Trabzonspor have made an offer to rival Celtic’s loan bid for West Ham United striker Albian Ajeti, according to Turkish based media outlet Takvim.
Takvim reported that West Ham have taken both Celtic’s and Trabzonspor’s offers seriously. They have also stated that, according to press in the UK, Ajeti would prefer to make the move to Turkey as he would get more opportunities to play there.
Trabzonspor have already added Ecuadorian striker Stiven Plaza to their ranks from Real Valladolid on loan. And it is reported that they want Ajeti in temporarily to boost their front-line further.
However, despite the report from Takvim, it would still appear as though they are losing their fight for the Swiss forward. The Scottish Sun and Sky Sports both reported that Celtic were closing in on a deal for Ajeti to bring him to Parkhead for the season.
The Sun stated that the option would also be available for Celtic if they want to take him on permanently.
Ajeti would have to fight for Celtic spot
If it’s guaranteed game-time Ajeti wants, then perhaps it should be Trabzonspor he goes to. Nothing is just given at Celtic Park, especially with Patryk Klimala starting the season well and Leigh Griffiths going to be returning at some point.
However, if he wants to push himself every week and be involved with a big club who are demanded to win every time they step out onto a football pitch, then Parkhead should be his only destination.
Celtic don’t need to sell themselves. We know what we can offer players, and players should be wise enough by now to know what they can get from a move to the East End of Glasgow.
A stunning season for Ajeti at Celtic could even revive his West Ham career if that’s what he wants in the long-term. He’ll be given Champions League football (so long as we qualify), and will potentially have the chance to leave the club a hero if he helps secure our 10th consecutive Premiership title.
Trabzonspor don’t have that same sell. They were slapped with a one-year ban from European football due to a failure to meet Financial Fair Play regulations (Goal). Therefore, any hopes of Champions League football in Turkey could be waved goodbye.
When you take everything into account, Celtic should still be the heavy favourites to get a deal done here. However, any late interest from the Turkish Premier League side certainly isn’t welcome.
In other news, KR Reykjavik are confident that their tie with Celtic will be played at Parkhead.
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