Celtic have plenty to sort this summer, but one decision should not be allowed to drift for too long. Marcelo Saracchi is back at Boca Juniors after his loan spell in Glasgow came to an end, yet his Celtic story might not be finished.
The left-back was not always available last season, and he was not a nailed-on starter. But when he did play, he brought something Celtic supporters quickly took to. There was a bite to his game. He played like someone who understood what the shirt demands.
That is why his future is worth watching closely.
The Daily Record report that Saracchi would be open to returning to Celtic, while Boca Juniors are prepared to let him leave this summer. The same report says a deal could be done for under £2million, but Celtic have not yet started formal talks.
That last part is the one that stands out.
This is not a player Celtic need to spend months scouting from a distance. They had him in the building. They saw him in training. They saw how he handled big matches, the pressure around the title run-in and the noise that comes with playing at Parkhead.
Martin O’Neill clearly took to him as well. Saracchi was praised after the final-day win over Hearts, a game where Celtic needed players with nerve as much as ability.
There is also a practical football point here.
Kieran Tierney is Celtic’s first-choice left-back, but he cannot be the only senior option going into a season with domestic and European demands. Celtic need cover that the manager trusts. They need players who can step in without the whole left side changing shape.
Saracchi would not arrive needing an introduction to Scottish football. He already knows the pace of it, the physical side of it and the expectation that comes with every dropped point.
That does not mean Celtic should rush into anything blindly.
His injury record last season has to be part of the discussion. His game time was limited too, with 27 appearances but only 10 starts. If Celtic bring him back, it has to be because they believe he can stay fit enough to be useful across a full campaign.
But the appeal is obvious.
A player who wants the move, a selling club willing to do business, and a fee that would not eat into the main transfer budget should at least make this one worth pushing along.
That means Celtic may not get to leave this sitting in the background while other deals take priority.
The club have bigger transfer calls to make, especially in attack. But squad balance matters too, and left-back depth is not something Celtic can afford to ignore.
Saracchi may not be the headline signing of the summer.
He might, however, be one of those sensible deals that stops a problem appearing later.
In my humble opinion, Sarrachi should be signed already, but the board are incompetent and Desmond is too interfering and should NOT be involved in the running of the club.
Also, I would have Sarrachi as first pick with Tierney as the backup, depending on the circumstances. They can both be starters, but in my opinion Sarrachi is the first choice LB. Both are capable of playing down the left in a 3-5-2 formation, again depending on circumstances. Both have their strong points, but Sarrachi is the better of the two and more consistent.
I would not trust any of this board with anything.
I would welcome Mr Ponsonby in an important position, with appropriate support to stabilise the club and bring in proper proven professionals to the board. Otherwise, this season will begin the downward spiral for a once truly great and respected club. Losing Dom McKay was the worst thing that happened. Already, this early in the season, I have my misgivings. We are on the “Road to Nowhere” as the song goes.
Sarrachi should be signed NOW!
I agree with everything you said.
What ability and experience of football matters does Mr Ponsonby bring to Celtic?
Genuine question and not a dig.
I love Sarrachi. He is the kind of marauding full back KT used to be. He is also comfortable stepping inside in that inverted role that Taylor did so well.
If we can pick him up for less than £2m, its a no brainer
Amen to that.
Already Hearts have signed their 4th player since the end of the season.
This is how serious clubs conduct their business.
Meanwhile we dither about and can’t even sign players who we had last season and know all about.
2 years ago we had Adam Idah & Bernardo on loan yet allowed them to return to parent clubs and ended up signing them late in the transfer window so they missed Celtic pre-season.
In the case of Idah, ended up paying way over the odds as we were desperate, scrambling to get players in just before the transfer window closed, and Norwich screwed us.
We see this happen every year, yet no lessons are learnt.
And that should just be the start.
Get the signings done as early as possible (I say without any confidence).
yes the way we play two good full backs for right and left they cover so much ground we seen benifit late in games how many assists come from wide areas
this appears to be a rerun of previous season’s of corporate greed and austerity already ,they insult Maloney and Fotheringham when they should have been rewarded, so save ourselves the usual heartache stop giving them your money or you are complicit