If there is to be one big move left in this transfer window then it has to be Shay Given arriving at Celtic Park ahead of any other ‘marquee’ deals.
Craig Bellamy would be fantastic, Robbie Keane amazing but although it may not be the biggest of box office deals bringing Given back to Celtic would be the biggest boost that the team could get.
With Given relegated to the bench at Manchester City and Celtic desperate to replace Artur Boruc the deal ticks all the boxes with no arm-twisting required to convince the ‘keeper of the merits of a move to Celtic.
The anticipated arrivals of Emilio Izaguirre and Daniel Majstorovic begin to complete the look of Neil Lennon’s squad but with the best will in the world Lucasz Zaluska could never be considered as more than an able deputy.
Signing Given would at a stroke bring a sense of stability to the defence and possibly even a captain to the team… as well as end a 16 year old sore.
With a defence likely to consist of a Korean, Dutchman, Swede and Honduran Given’s Donegal demands are exactly what the new defenders require and would send a wave of confidence through the side that hasn’t been present since Boruc’s vintage spell of 2005-2008.
This morning’s papers are heavy on speculation that Celtic are poised to move for Given with Arsenal and Fulham listed as potential competitors.
Without going overboard Given has never hidden his wish to play for Celtic, he gets along to as many matches as possible and with his wife coming from Cumbernauld the timing of a move could be perfect.
The keeper gave Newcastle the bulk of his career and left with a heavy heart as he saw the writing on the wall at a club in constant crisis. Newcastle were relegated four months after he left for Manchester City.
A further move to London would hardly be the end of the world for Given but if it comes down to a choice between Arsenal and Celtic I think he’ll be heading north.
Manchester City aren’t obliged to sell the keeper- selling to a rival would be madness and potentially damaging to City’s ambitions.
If Celtic’s interest is genuine then I don’t see too many difficulties in agreeing a deal that suits all parties involved with City more than capable of moving into the transfer market to bring in an experienced back-up to Joe Hart.
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Emilio Izaguirre talks about his Celtic move
I don’t see why the aquisition of Given would be an either or situation with Bellamy, why not both? Yes please.
Personally I feel if we have a solid enough defence then Zaluska would be good enough as I still think he’s one of the top keepers in in Scotland. If I could bring only one player from Eastlands it would be Bellamy.
Signing Given on loan would be fantastic however I think Bellamy would have more impact on the team. Good points re bringing stability to the defence however Majstorovic should be able to do that. Yesterday’s game highlighted our inability to score goals & Bellamy would be ideal.
Agree with you and considering the amount of loan signings we didn’t renew … eg Braafheid, Kamara, Keane, N’guemo and the fact we’ll have a surplus of around £6M (allowing for the signing of Izaguirre and sale of Hinkel) then why not get them both. Happy Days.
I’ll happily take all three!
However if there is to be one expensive signing, I’d expect Given to be signed rather than on loan, then Given has to be the one.
He’d instantly improve the defence and bring confidence.
I don’t have too many concerns about scoring in the SPL. Gary Hooper and Daryl Murphy will both score regularly. Going on yesterday’s formation we can expect to get goals from the supporting three if it includes Paddy McCourt and James Forrest, Shaun Maloney’s conversion rate has never been good, he’s more likely to score with a 25 yard free kick than on a one-on-one with a goalkeeper.
I’ve never had Craig Bellamy marked down as a striker, one-on-one isn’t his forte. In yesterday’s formation he’d fit in perfectly as an attacking midfielder/support striker.
There is promise, variety and options from midfield going forward, securing the defence and a top notch keeper will give the whole team a great lift.
Hi Joe — would you really want Celtic to pay a transfer fee for a 34 y old? Did Man City not pay around £10M for him last year, so would want a major portion of that back. Would make more sense to take him on loan and sign Westwood for free when out of contract in the summer ………. ensuring Coventry wouldn’t even get the haggis they’ve apparently been offered for him
I agree wholeheartedly with your point about signing Shay Given.
Going back over the years Celtic always seemed to have had a problem with goalkeepers.
Remember Frank Haffey?
Packy Bonner seemed to steady the ship for awhile, and although a good keeper I feel the praise he received was due a lot to the comparison with the dross that had gone before!
I had high hopes for Lucasz Zaluska when he first signed, but his performances since Artur Boruc left have not been convincing.
Your reference to Shaun Maloney being more likely to score from a 25 yard free kick made me smile.
When was the last time he did that?
He’s much more likely to put the ball over the crossbar, something he has achieved almost robotically in a good few pre-season games, although to be fair to him he did put in a decent shift yesterday.
Bearing in mind Given’s age I don’t think going on loan is an option he’d fancy.
City paid £5m for him 18 months ago and have had a good return on that.
Complete guesswork but I think they’d be prepared to take £2m from Celtic and we’d get at least three seasons out of him which I think is better value than Bellamy on loan.
Given would improve our defence more than Bellamy would improve our striking options. I think that we have goalscorers already at the club, I’ve got little confidence in the current defence, neither does Neil Lennon who is widely quoted as looking for three defenders/goalkeeper.
If we can sign Given for £2M I’d bite their hands off for him.
Think we all agree he’s a fantastic goalkeeper.
he is a fantastic keeper and i would like to see bellamy back at celtic we need a good striker and given would improve the defence that what we need
I agree with the writer. All three would be great, but if only one is available or even possible, then the clear winner has to be Given.
The impact stability at the back that he would have on Celtic players in front of him would be huge. We have lots of firepower up there.
Yesterday we were without the main guy, Hooper, and Maloney and Forrest squandered a handful of chances. Bellamy misses sometimes too!!! Maloney is finished I think.
He made a terrible mistake leaving Celtic for Villa. Taking such a step back in your career never pays off for anyone. Liam Miller was another prime example.
But I digress! Given has to be prime target, though I do wonder how much fact is in the initial report in the frantic frenzied Scottish media. We have lots of talent in front of the back four and need strength there to complete this team.