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Lennon: Lierse can forget about Watt deal

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Image for Lennon: Lierse can forget about Watt deal

Tony Watt topNeil Lennon has told Lierse to forget about any plans to sign Tony Watt.

The on loan striker has scored doubles in his last two matches as well as helping Lierse to their first victory over Anderlecht in 13 years.

That form has prompted talk from Belgium about making the deal permanent with Watt diplomatic about the matter.

The 20-year-old’s scoring form has contrasted with the lack of goals from the Celtic strikers with Lennon delighted by the way the former Airdrie United striker has developed since the turn of the year.

“He’ll definitely be back in my plans,” the Celtic boss responded to the suggestion that Watt could leave the hoops. “The whole reason for sending him away was to get games under his belt.

“He’s playing well and scoring goals, but he’s our player and is coming back. We thought long and hard about the loan because we knew he had good attributes but I thought a year away would let him realise what he had here and hopefully the penny will have dropped.”

As well as Lierse a number of Dutch clubs have been monitoring Watt’s form in the hope that they can entice Celtic to cash in on the striker.

Watt only went full-time when he joined Celtic three years ago and is keen to return home to his family to develop his career in the hoops after being written off by many following his goal against Barcelona.

As well as Watt a number of younger Celtic players out on loan with Callum McGregor attracting interest and attention for his performances in League One with Notts County.

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0 comments

  • Andy says:

    We need to get Watt back he could be the key man in our Champions League qualifying games.

    • HoopNo7 says:

      Nonsense.. to suggest Watt as our saviour! I dont deny id like to see his energy injected into a front line that is lagging but its unfair to land that sort of pressure on young Tonys shoulders….

      He aint no Hooper, yet… Id still like to see a proper goal grabber brought in to the team in the summer and TW given a fair crack of the whip along the way to help him realise his undoubted potential

      • Aldo says:

        he’ll score a load more than hooper

      • Jones says:

        Stokes may be able to hit a hat-trick in SPL (though his goals ratio is crap this season anyway) but I can’t see it at european level. At least Watt has scored in the Champions League.

  • OZ CELT aka Davie Bhoy says:

    Looking like an excellent bit of man management from Lenny……….

  • Dom says:

    I would send Balde, Stokes and Pukki out on loan to the Belgian club and hopefully they will improve too.

  • Ruggygman says:

    Would like to see both Watt and McGregor, integrated in to our first 11, for the start of next season.

  • Eastside says:

    This was a good move by Lennon. He is getting pelters off some for not utilizing the youth players since the completion in the League weakened with the death of Rangers. But this move looks like Lennon has taken the opportunity to give Watt regular football instead of using him sparingly over the season, which he probably would have done in a more competitive League.

  • peter says:

    Joe,

    Thanks for updating us, on a regular basis,
    on Tony’s progress.
    Tony admitted,” if I wasn’t in the team,I
    would just go out.”

    Discipline was clearly a problem.So, it looks like this loan,will see the maturing
    of Tony.
    Although, I can see why,he threw the toys,
    when Stokes was getting a game before him.

    Every top club needs 4 strikers.We will
    buy a quality target man.Griffiths and Tony will also be our strikers next season.
    So, IMO that leaves 1 place.
    Either Stokes,Pukki or Balde ? None of
    them fill me with confidence.Maybe,sell or
    loan all 3.As Commoms is showing his
    qualities as a deeper lying striker.

    • Scott Mackenzie says:

      agree, cheers joe.

      regarding the strikers, i actually like pukki and think he will come good given time. he is technically very gifted, but i admit he has looked out of sorts on most occasions. i think he probably doesnt like the hatchet men treatment from opposition players, and also looks he’s lacking confidence, and perhaps even a little depressed? maybe he is just finding it hard to settle. hopefully he’ll find his feet shortly.

  • Tony McGurk says:

    Scott, I can buy into the fact that it can take SOME time for a player to “settle in” despite the fact that he’s playing a game he’s played for years, and is now being very highly paid for doing so. But surely it shouldn’t take many months and even more games?

    When I read that Pukki says it’ll take him until next season to settle, I can only shake my head and ask myself just how much time these spoiled prima donnas actually want for them to settle in? I’d like to suggest that as they’re not producing at full capacity while they’re settling in, maybe if they were paid a reduced “settling in” wage for that period, it would help them settle in a lot quicker. (Yeah! I can see THAT happening!) 😎

    Pukki is supposedly a striker, which no matter what team you play for, or where you play, involves finishing off created chances. So how long does he actually need to “settle in” and learn how to do this, when he’s been doing it all his life? In my view he’s already had much more time than it took Henrik, Gary Hooper, or countless others to start producing, and the “settling in” thing has simply become the go-to excuse for lack of production.

    I guess if we want to look at things from the point of view that everyone needs a different length of time to settle in, then we can claim that Mo Bangura and all of the other striking duds we’ve signed simply weren’t given enough time to settle in. …..No?

    • Jones says:

      Settling in isn’t just about actually playing. Perhaps he is homesick, doesn’t like the food, the water doesn’t agree with him, he’s not on the same wavelength with dressing room banter, it rains too much. Maybe he just needs to meet a bird. Who knows?

      But having lived abroad I know how long it can take to settle in a new country, it can take time, But you get there in the end, even if you are a ‘spoiled prima donna’

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