Since Neil Lennon hit out after last night’s defeat from Ferencvaros the guessing game has been underway. Who are the Celtic players that have an eye on being elsewhere?
Supporters are becoming immune to disastrous European results, especially at a former fortress. The Hungarian champions only did what Cluj and Copenhagen have also experienced over the last 12 months.
What was different this time was the reaction of the manager. I wasn’t quite at the level of Ross County in 2010 but very clearly, as he put it himself, things have been bugging the Celtic boss.
Last week Harry Brady joined Remy McSwain and Lawrence Donegan on the By The Minute Celtic podcast as they reflected on the first couple of matches of the season.
Brady hosts the Celtic Underground podcast, back in 2018 he exceeded all his dreams when he was joined by Peter Lawwell with the club CEO in full flow about all the remarkable plans that were in place to continue the upward path of the club.
After three successive failures to even reach the Play Off stage for the Champions League it’s unlikely that Lawwell will be raising his voice any time soon.
During the By The Minute Celtic podcast Brady revealed that four players were less than committed to the club with Lennon ‘most irritated by their performances at Kilmarnock.
8 minutes33 seconds in, reflecting on defensive formations and options Harry Brady said:
I heard it that Lennon was most irritated by the performance of four players in particular that were not trying as they could have done at Kilmarnock because they are not that fussed about staying here this season and one of those four players was Ajer.
L D: I’m going to guess, Edouard. He doesn’t look as engaged as he was at his peak at the end of last season, when the season really kicked in after the break. I’ve heard a small rumour that Ryan Christie wouldn’t mind a move, I saw his Dad was floating that earlier in the summer. That’s three, give me a fourth one Remy
R McS: I’m trying to remember who was playing
H B: He didn’t play much of the game, he came on as a sub
R McS: Bolingoli?
L D: Ntcham, there you go
H B: Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that these guys are going ‘I desperately want to move and I can’t be ar*** playing. I just think that if they are at the point in their life where, over the summer, when the team’s not playing they are starting to have discussions with their agent. Their agent is thinking ‘this might be the time for you to make that move.
It will be in the back of their mind and while the transfer window is open, it’s going to be at the back of their minds. Not consciously but sub-consciously I might not be here for the long haul. You know anybody who is in a work environment where they are maybe looking for another job there might be days when everybody else is knocking their pan in and they are finding it a bit more difficult and it’s a hard day and I don’t know if I’m going to be here much longer. I went for an interview last week, I wonder how the interview has gone. That type of mentality.
David Turnbull looks like part of the solution but after last night’s comments Celtic Park should be a hive of transfer activity during the international break.
