Celtic’s search for a striker in the summer was well-publicised.
With Kyogo Furuhashi sold in January without being replaced, Brendan Rodgers went into the final season of his current contract in desperate need of attacking reinforcements.
Louis Munteanu and Jamie Vardy were among the names raised as the window rumbled on, but the wait for a high-profile addition continued.
Shin Yamada was signed from Kawasaki Frontale, but Rodgers described this as a ‘club signing.’ After the sale of Adam Idah to Swansea, the focus became even greater, and after pursuits of Kasper Dolberg and Datro Fofana, Kelechi Iheanacho was the chosen one after the closure of the transfer window.
Another man whose name was often mentioned has now given an honest answer while on international duty.
David Strelec on interest from Celtic
David Strelec was in the Slovan Bratislava side that Celtic hammered 5-1 in the opening matchday of last season’s Champions League. Oh, to have performances like that again.
This January, when Kyogo departed, Celtic were reported to be pursuing Strelec – and the player’s father eventually revealed that the Hoops’ interest was concrete.
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This summer, things were less clear. With more names in the mix, the Hoops didn’t appear to push forward with the deal, and the Slovakian ended up making the move to Middlesbrough – ironically, to replace Iheanacho.
He told the Pressko podcast: “There was real interest during the winter, but not now in the summer.
“It was written about in the media, which was pulled out by the local media. The Scots came at the last minute in the winter, but they complicated it themselves.
“Their agent came, but mine didn’t know about it. The whole thing got tangled.”
He also commented on a potential move to Mexico, where he could’ve played alongside Sergio Ramos at Monterrey.
“Financially, it was better than the Championship,” he said.
“They have a lot of money, they lead the league. The top competition there is also quite good, although the Championship is probably better.”
There aren’t many who would turn down Mexico for Middlesbrough, but each to their own.
What happened to Celtic’s other summer transfer targets?
Kasper Dolberg said Celtic were ‘never a serious option’, but he might want to focus on becoming a serious option for Ajax where he is yet to score after starting just once.
Fellow Danish target Jakob Breum has enjoyed a fine start to the season for Go Ahead Eagles on the other hand, helping them to an outstanding away win at Panathinaikos in the Europa League.
Munteanu’s situation was immensely publicised at Cluj, but after he was denied his desired move, he scored his first goal of the season on Saturday.
As for Vardy, he is yet to start a game in Italy. He came off the bench as Cremonese lost 4-1 to Inter at the San Siro on Friday.
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