Michael Gannon has been sent out to fire fight on behalf of the Celtic board.
The Daily Record reporter was part of the Albufeira lads that enjoyed a few boozy nights out with Martin O’Neill in the Algarve.
The reporters were handed several feel good stories with players but not Callum McGregor or Arne Engels.
Much of the content was held back for this week as the Record, Sun and Herald justified the outlay with EXCLUSIVE content from inside the Celtic tent.
Ten days on from the high jinks in Albufeira Celtic have yet to add any more signings.
You won’t read any criticism or questioning of Michael Nicholson in the Record.
The Herald isn’t reviving the comments of Brian Wilson and examining the multitude of broken promises. Chairman Wilson has been a columnist on and off for the Herald over the last 20 years.
Reacting to the criticism over lack of signings word leaked out about Celtic’s interest in Mika Baur and Kasper Hogh.
Talks are ongoing with Paderborn and Bodo Glimt as they discover the archaic way that Celtic attempt to sign players.
Other clubs have been alerted that both players are available. And the asking prices.
With AC Milan visiting Celtic tomorrow a crowd in the region of 15,000 is expected.
A combination of fan anger and apathy.
CELTIC TURN TO THEIR TRUSTED MESSENGERS
Still living in the nineties when the Record was selling 400,000 copies a day Celtic have turned to their media partners to put up a defence.
Reacting to the anti-establishment fans Gannon reports:
Celtic have been warned they’ll need to stump up to get deals with Kasper Hogh and Mika Baur over the line.
Yes. That’s business. If buying clubs don’t stump up Celtic won’t sell Daizen Maeda, Arne Engels or Alistair Johnston.
The Hoops are closing in Bodo/Glimt hitman Hogh and Paderborn playmaker Baur and are hoping to have the pair on board in the next few days.
They’ve already been negotiating for a few days. In the case of Hogh since January.
But the Norwegian and German sides are both determined to hold out for big bucks for their star men.
Big bucks! The same currency as Bursanspor offered Iheanacho. A favourite term of the Record Sports Desk.
Record Sport understands Hogh is keen on a switch to Celts but Bodo are under no pressure to sell and will be looking to bank at least £8m for the Champions League hero.
And we know exactly who informed Record Sport. The same source that whispered to you about the £50,000 a week that Kelechi Iheanacho is getting at Bursanspor.
The Hoops have tabled a £4m bid for Baur having already nailed down personal terms with the Germany under-21 ace but the clubs are still thrashing out some of the details of the fee.
Yes. That is why Baur remain a Padenborn player tonight. Under contract for another year.
Parkhead chiefs remain confident and are ready to bank £8m for the sale of Daizen Maeda to Ipswich Town – which is on the verge of completion after the Japan star came through his medical.
Parkhead chiefs already have over £80m sitting in the bank. Not that they want to reinvest in the club, either on players or infrastructure.
Rolling off the printing presses at Oldham around 27,000 copies of the Record will be sold on Saturday.
No Joe Celtic have between 60/70m plus 12m in sales so far ( that’s minus 3.4m for Duran ) & 36m in ST sales, so far that’s about 112/118m , with more to come via player sales , rough estimate 50m ( Engels , Johnson , Hatate , McGregor ) great feeling that we have so much money , who cares who wins the league , we’ll still have more money , sorry that was a bad attempt at humour , put simply I would laugh if this was a joke , HH
Of course the Daily Ranger is interested in helping Celtic stay as is. The fact that the club stull uses this rag to spread it’s messages is self harming on many levels. Also further demonstrates the disconnect between the fans and the self serving board.
Its the other clubs fault we cant sign players. They want actual money. As do the agents. What a cheek. As for those complex tax laws and pesky 2nd tier league sides offering more money than we want to offer, it’s not Celtic’s fault, it’s a combination of things.
Selling clubs can check publicly available info about Celtic’s huge cash pile.
Selling clubs will also know we desperately need new players.
So, selling clubs are in a stronger negotiating position.
Our club has to pay a ‘premium’ to get the players it wants ASAP, you’d expect?
And regarding the alleged quibbling over a £300K gap in price for Baur,
(assuming it’s true.)
As CEO of a plc, it’s perfectly within Nicholson’s remit to increase a bid
(within reason) to get any deal over the line.
In this Baur example, this would be a c.6% uplift – or premium if you like.
It’s been quoted that NED’s – including DD – are involved in a process for sanctioning transfers?
This, if true, is not normal.
NED’s provide good governance: providing operational support is not in their remit, as that would be a clear conflict of their defined roles and responsibilities.
The CEO can get a deal done, and then inform the Board.and
If a NED was to complain that they didn’t sign off on a transfer, it would be perfectly reasonable – if not expected – that the CEO would tell a NED to “to go f### yourself”.
[DD might respect Nicholson if he made unilateral CEO decisions, as necessary?]
Nicholson and McKay are the only Executive Directors anyway.
Yes, as largest shareholder, DD could engineer Nicholson’s exit eventually,
but he’d be punting the CEO for doing his job.
And as a lawyer, Nicholson would certainly ensure he got a generous pay off?
So, the point is, Nicholson CAN sign a player as CEO.
…if he wants to….
That Labour rat Reeves can do a deal with her fellow Labour Butchers Apron loving cohort Wilson to send up a player out The Westminster team for all the millions he’ll be sending The Brits…
The Celtic supporters money that’s goin there…
That’s Labour ones for you !
As I said previously ..a useful idiot ! ?
Do we really want a sneering mcinnes and the hun looking down at us and taking pots shot as He at last wins a leauge as manager
Thats the magnitude of one aspect of this russian roulette, the other , the CL, to bad to imagine .
Do we know Nicholson’s background? Schoolboy hun fan, perhaps?