Even Fabrizio Romano had a pop at Celtic as Jocelin Ta Bi closed in on his move to Sunderland.
When the ultimate transfer guru is highlighting your inability to complete a deal it really is time to take stock of how you are operating.
With 26.7m Twitter/X followers when Romano comments the reach is huge.
Celtic were first linked with the Ivorian winger on December 26– another dreaded project.
The need for tried and tested additions has never been more important. After a run of horrific transfer windows the Celtic squad is below the bare bones stage.
With Wilfried Nancy imploding as Celtic manager not too much notice was taken of the link to Ta Bi.
CELTIC TAKE COLD FEET TO TA BI
Some fans did dig into the clubs involved, discovering that the owners of Maccabi Netanya are heavily linked to the Israeli military and their genocide of Palestine.
The story wasn’t going away. There was more to it than just the usual 24 or 48 whirlwind of news before another target emerges.
Suddenly this one was gaining momentum.
Most of the legacy media outlets carried quotes from the player about how excited he was to be moving to Celtic.
Online there were claims that a hearing at Hampden had approved a work permit.
And then there was a silence, days passed, nothing moved. How typically Celtic.
Classic Celtic board. Took their time to do a deal, Sunderland come in & agree a deal quickly. Celtic board then put out PR nonsense about medical problems to deflect from their ineptitude. Ta Ba then signs for Sunderland
Just another example of incompetence from Nicholson & co https://t.co/dfWr3cMzPF
— RJM67 ?? (@RJMCeltic67) January 16, 2026
Celtic aren’t known for their slick and efficient transfer operations.
Celtic’s move for Jocelin Ta Bi have hit a snag while there is English interest in in-form Yang Hyun-Jun.
The latest transfer news from @mcgowan_stephen
?https://t.co/hNNOYFSx7C pic.twitter.com/CPR4CbH4CN
— Herald Sport (@HeraldSportScot) January 11, 2026
Stephen McGowan reported:
Celtic’s hopes of concluding a £2million deal for Ivory Coast winger Jocelyn Ta Bi have been undermined by injury.
The 20-year-old was expected to become the first signing of Martin O’Neill’s third stint in charge this week.
Plans to complete the deal are now under review, however, after tests showed up that the Maccabi Netanya right winger requires surgery for a medical issue.
Regarded as a prospect for the future Celtic could return for Ta Bi in the summer but now look likely to turn their attention to other targets after the latest set back to plans to reinforce the squad this month.
Celtic will find that Ta Bi has changed club if they wish to revive their interest in the summer.
The injury story looks very dubious with Sunderland happy to give the player a five year contract.
THE MCGOWAN SOURCE
On this deal it seems that McGowan’s contact wasn’t sharing the full story.
With their need to improve the first team stronger than ever Celtic are past the halfway mark in the transfer window with just one arrival.
Jullian Araujo has come in on loan from Bournemouth and instantly looked at home, making his debut on January 3.
The earliest that any further signings can play for Celtic will be January 25 away to Hearts.
McGowan has been the most reliable source of Celtic news for 20 years but in this case his source hasn’t been on the ball.
Sunderland are happy to see through any ‘medical issue’ and sign the player.
Day by day the shambles that is Celtic is reflected in their failings in the transfer market.
With Romano tweeting those issues far and wide those problems are only going to get bigger. Especially with less trading days left to complete deals.
No supporting genocide enablers
It’s ALL about the money.
Just what exactly are the criteria used to bring a player in?
I mean, if it’s a 6 or 7 or 9m fee and your trying to get a few quid off then hey…fair enough.
But this guy signed for 3.5m on a 5yr deal!
What is there to argue about on a fee like that and wages shouldn’t have been an issue either, you don’t pay 3.5m for a player and pay him 100k a week.
What the actual f**k is going on at our club?
As John A said, if we signed him there would be uproar and criticism and rightly so for given that club in particular money. Nothing against the player personally I hope he does well at Sunderland but going from what I’ve seen and read of him I don’t think he’s ready to come into this shit show and hit the ground running.
When I first heard about the player and the club/country he was coming from my initial thoughts where the parasites where doing it to get at the fans more than anything knowing our reaction to it.
Sensible move by the guy…
Not even a Celtic supporting player bleeding green white and gold would wanna play at Parkhead these days…
Well done Lucan !
So, we had ‘a verbal agreement’, eh?!
As a wise man once said – ‘verbal agreements – they’re no’ worth the paper they urnae written oan, son’…..
No way was this a right decision by the club to look at signing another project. However the worst fact is that we would be putting money for the scum owners to produce more weapons to kill kids. What the fuck Celtic ( stupid cunts, sorry for language) Then for the stupid board to try to pretend he was injured and get found out. DO THEY EVER SPEAK ANY TRUTH TO THE FANS. The board treat the fans with complete contempt and think we are stupid. No to any Israeli player, no to any player from an Israeli team. These cunts are going to give us Robbie Keane next. That is how out of touch they are. (Before he went to Israel I would have had him but not now, not if you have eyes and care)
So, that’s yet another third party publicly criticising how Celtic conducts business!
The Romano tweet is simply another confirmation that the Board is incompetent: risibly, nowhere near ‘world class’.
…and as a player, would you sign for a club which has had so much managerial turmoil this season,
AND you have no idea who the manager will be in the summer? Will he rate you / want you…?
This player’s agent did a good job, using Celtic to flush out other clubs’ interest.
McGowan of the Herald …Grieve of the Scottish Sun…Gannon of the daily Record , all 3 have been quoted as ” reliable reporters ” ,yet are consistently wrong in their stories . Now , is that incompetence or is it all a ruse ,ordered by their bosses to take the piss out of hopeful Celtic fans …the disappointment will do the trick nicely ! A combination of both , I suspect !
Of the injury claim is true possibly we dodged a bullet
4.5million is pe
I did not finish
4.5 million is peanuts to any English Premier club, likely some players signing on fee or wages
As soon as there was the slightest news leaking about the signing of a player from an Israeli Club, despite the actual nationality of the man. the Anti-Israeli/Pro-Palestine Trolls were “on their game” and would have been relentless in trying to stop the Celtic Board completing the final deal. And, if Celtic had indeed signed him, the Board and the poor player would have been loudly scorned for supporting the alleged “genocide” of the Palestinians and the Hamas Terrorists. Football should never be about Politics and we should therefore tell those fans that bring it to Paradise to leave it outside!
Editor: There, there, there. Head to Thick News for tea and sympathy. Who do you think leaked the news to their favoured media partners?
When have the Celtic board ever given a flying one for what supporters think.
This transfer was probably driven by their anger at anti-establishment fans, when Nicholson realised that he might be close to signing someone he experienced uncomfortable bowel movements #celticfamily