The transfer trail from Celtic to Southampton is well established but there is a reverse route that is paying dividends for the hoops.
Victor Wanyama, Fraser Forster, Virgil van Dijk and Stuart Armstrong have all made the journey to the south coast, boosting Celtic’s coffers but leaving fans wondering over what might have been if they had stayed together at the Scottish champions.
The route from Fulham to Celtic isn’t so well known but it has brought plenty of benefits during the current golden period for the hoops.
Moussa Dembele made the transfer directly in the summer of 2016, helped the hoops to six trophies then moved on to Lyon for £20m.
Playing alongside Dembele for much of the time was Patrick Roberts, signed on two loan spells from Manchester City after catching the eye and costing £10m when he came through the Fulham Academy.
So gutted we let him go ?
— FulhamFanNews (@FulhamTransfer) October 26, 2023
Completing the list, for now, of Fulham Academy graduates is man of the moment Matt O’Riley.
The midfielder joined Fulham at the age of eight, progressed through to make his first team debut in 2017 at the age of 16 but failed to kick on and left in the summer of 2020 having knocked back the offer of a three year contract.
After half a season out of football he joined MK Dons in January 2021, a year later after getting the first team experience he needed in League One he moved to Celtic for £1.5m.
Hopefully he’ll be around Celtic for a while yet but if he does move on there is every chance that the fee involved will surpass the deal done to take Dembele to Lyon.
Can’t understand why you would have???? but your loss n all that ?
— CHAMPIONS ? (@Celtic67Champs) October 26, 2023
He didn’t sign a new deal because Parker signed his brother in law and played him instead! O’Reilly should have been playing instead of bloody Harry Arter!
— FulhamFanNews (@FulhamTransfer) October 26, 2023
You didn’t let him go he rejected a 3yr deal
— Max (@maxs_mkd) October 26, 2023
You offered him a new contract, but he wanted immediate game time so came to us (MK Dons)
— Louis Murray (@LouisMKD) October 26, 2023
You didn’t let him go he rejected a 3yr deal
— Max (@maxs_mkd) October 26, 2023
Your youth academy has worked wonders for us. Dembele and O’Riley some player. Any more you want to send up the road? ?
— Callum (@Calshyy) October 26, 2023
Make them see out their contracts at Celtic! That way the Board won’t capitalise on a player who is coveted.
He could sign a pre-contract with whoever. Nicholson could draw up the contract!
The player would stick around for one or two seasons. Maybe then we’d be able to put up a strong team in that meantime!
But at present, all we do is sell players at he first smell of money!
It is the Celtic fans who are being taken for mugs here. Under the current Board and Trading Model we will never see a team on the park challenging for anything other than domestic honours.
( And the most we can win this season is two trophies!)
I think the Celtic fans are beginning, slowly but surely, to see what the parasitic board at Paradise is up to.
I have been calling for a complete boycott of ALL merchandise until they start to put a team on the park which would at least try to meet our huge potential instead of adhering to their inferior “Old Firm Franchise” which Lawwell & Co will protect at all costs to the detriment of our great club and fans.