If the Celtic board are going to get behind Ange Postecoglou, then they’re going to have to start delivering some big signings and soon.
It looked for all the world as though the Hoops were set to sign Swedish centre-back Carl Starfelt from Rubin Kazan only last week. However, in a throwback to life under Peter Lawwell, we bizarrely pulled out [Fabrizio Romano].
One of the reasons given by Italian journalist Romano was that they wanted to hold off and see what the future held for Kristoffer Ajer. After all, if he stays, what’s the point in signing Starfelt, right?
That couldn’t be more wrong. It’s an incredibly negative and counter-productive tactic when you’re looking to build a squad.
Why on earth are Celtic waiting to see if players are sold before deciding to strengthen? Even if Ajer does stay, that doesn’t mean the centre-back position should be going untouched. We’re still far too bare.
It could be the case that Ajer is still plucked from us between now and the window closing in August. Then what? What if Starfelt has decided to move onto another club and is now unattainable. Then you’ve gone and lost your top target because you were too concerned with saving some cash.
Celtic signings shouldn’t be dependent on player sales
Celtic have a host of players who could be out the door at one stage or another this summer. Ajer joins Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie in particular on that list. Do we simply wait to see if they’re staying before strengthening too?
It’s not as if Celtic should need the money. The Scottish Sun reported after the sale of Vakoun Bayo to Gent that the Hoops have now taken in £18m in player sales since January. Would spending £4m of that on a new centre-back or right-back really be too much to ask?
Yes, player sales will be necessary to finance some of the rebuild. Nobody is expecting seven or eight new signings in without actually selling some of our top talent.
But there’s a pressing need to get the right-back and centre-back position sorted for the Midtjylland tie in nine days. If we’ve identified players to strengthen in our problem positions, there has to be an urgency to bring them in. Waiting to see whether other players decide to stay for a short period longer doesn’t say much for the rebuild.
There is absolutely no reason we should be waiting for player sales. Financially it’s unnecessary whilst on the field it’s a ridiculously negative tactic for our squad-building hopes.
But if our pursuit of Starfelt is anything to go by, it looks like a tactic the board may be using.
In other news: ADAM Montgomery explains his best position after Celtic role against Charlton.
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