Anthony Joseph has delivered a grim transfer update following Celtic’s Champions League knock-out.
The aggregate defeat to LASK and the manner of it threatens to cast a cloud over the club for some time to come.
The most immediate impact will be on transfers.
Although the Scottish window is open until 5pm on September 3 the UEFA deadline is 11pm on September 2.
Celtic have a fairly bloated squad as things stand.
With eight Europa League ties running to the end of January, Jota and Alistair Johnston can fill the slots left by Arne Engels and Adam Montgomery.
Almost every area of the team/squad needs improved on as the 5-1 defeat in Austria demonstrated.
CELTIC- THE PACE OF TRANSFER ACTIVITY
So far Celtic have made four signings in the three months since the Scottish Cup Final.
Camilo Duran, Kasper Hogh, Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan.
Some rapid dealing will be required over the final week of the window to make Celtic respectable in Europe.
Despite having a bank balance sitting between £70-100m it looks like Celtic will be turning to loans to plug gaps.
Today on Sky Sports Joseph explained:
Missing out on the Champions League could have huge consequences for Celtic in the last week of the transfer window. Celtic would’ve been guaranteed another £40m from Europe’s premier competition. But they know the reality is much more than that, having made around £75m from their Champions League exploits two seasons ago.
Had they made it there last night, they were expecting to spend in excess of £20m this week on a number of players, including Torino’s Gvidas Gineitis and Slovan Liberec’s Ermin Mahmic. It remains to be seen whether those deals can still be done, but Gineitis certainly seems unlikely given that he would cost around £10m.
When there’s Champions League football on offer, there’s no doubt you can operate in a different market. The finances that come with it are huge, but also the lure it has on players is a big draw and sometimes a deciding factor on whether they will join a club in the Scottish league. Even up to yesterday afternoon [Tuesday], it’s understood Celtic were being offered some top European talent, via intermediaries, who were seeking to play for a Champions League club this season. That’s gone now.
Celtic are in the market for a couple of central midfielders, a goalkeeper, left-back, right-back and possibly even a left winger, before next Thursday’s deadline. It’s a lot of work to do in a week, with a threadbare team of people doing it but the show must go on to fill the gaps in the squad.
While money is likely to be spent on a midfielder and goalkeeper, some of the other positions may now come from loans. The Celtic hierarchy, recruitment team, O’Neill and Maloney are expected to meet this week to discuss the plan of action for the last week of the window.
O’Neill is expected to provide a transfer update on Friday as he previews Saturday’s match against Falkirk.
So far Celtic have made a profit of around £10m on transfers during the summer window.
A reviewed budget without the incentive of the Champions League is bound to have a knock on effect on transfer activity.
While the UEFA deadline falls at 11pm on Wednesday Celtic take on Falkirk that evening.
A normally hectic time has an added complication with the eyes of supporters on the club to deliver after missing out on Champions League football.
The 5pm September 3 SFA deadline is basically to allow for tidying up the day after the UEFA deadline passes
Jota didn’t look near the player he was on his return before his injury, I highly doubt he ever will be the same again.
“But they know the reality is much more than that, having made around £75m from their Champions League exploits two seasons ago.”
Celtic made £75M from one season in the Champions League……………. please !!!
I’m no fan of this Board but don’t make matters worse by presenting that quote as fact.
I really wish Celtic websites would think before always throwing about Celtic having £75M in the bank. It only inflamed passions further.
That figure is always calculated at June 30th. That figure includes all season ticket money at that point but before we buy anyone. That money gradually disappears throughout the year because you know what, we have to pay players over the year.
By my reckoning we probably have about £40M in the bank: far to much for a club of our size but nowhere near the often quoted £75M and we certainly never made £75M from our last run in the Champions League.
I’m hacked off with our lack of ambition as much as anyone but please use facts.
Editor: There is more to it than direct money from UEFA which was around £40m.
Five home matches, tickets and hospitality pricing is far higher than Europa League.
The fees for Kuhn and Engels were largely based on Champions League performances.
Merch sales go up when Celtic arein the UCL, I’d expect higher payments from sponsors and other corporate backers for a five home match UCL run.
£75m may be a bit on the high side but we’ll soon discover the income from last season’s failure in the Europa League.
Hi Desmond’s, Nicholson’s and Mackay, great post. Inflaming passions further you say? Did you watch that capitulation last night? Totally self sabotage on your part for the last 8 failed CL qualifiers. That amounts to circa €313m in lost revenue since 2014. The figures don’t lie.
I/we as a support no longer can accept these capitulations on the park, ill prepared for CL playoff after CL playoff. We operate as a bank with a football club as a side line.
You couldn’t write this in any other walk of life or business. Celtic needs gutted from top to bottom. I haven’t the energy or the willpower to continue with further assessment tonight.
Has the board got any willpower left to admit their time is up and now is time to hand over the reigns to progressive individuals with Celtic at heart?
Get the bastards to fuck who the fuck do these cunts think they are ? It’s self sabotage of the highest calibre , it wouldn’t have mattered if we were 5-0 up from the first leg we were going out it’s that simple , fucking radging is an understatement
The Celtic Board have lost our club in excess of £80M…over two seasons … Resignations for the failure should be the honourable action.
Joe I watch your podcasts regularly, this has nothing to do with what the happy clappers say and there’s still plenty of them by the sounds of things , I won £950 last night betting in running , i obviously didn’t want my bet to come up but when we scored to go 4 up I was right on to the bookies , I KNEW we were gonna blow it , I bet LASK to score over 3.5 goals , I bet LASK to qualify , they will
all say some Tim you are but trust me I wanted every single one of they bets to go down , but I Fuckn knew we would fuck this up , hell mend these bastards now , I said it at the start of last season this is pure sabotage, how the hell can you not learn after last season, I could rant rant rant on for hours about this shit , I feel sorry for these guys we’ve just signed and dragged them into this cesspit, new signings haha I will crack the jokes , well played Michael Nicholson and chums hope your happy just mind get your bonus
Consequences?
As long as Desmond remains, there are no consequences for the Board.
Nothing changes: nothing improves.