Celtic brought three players in on deadline day, but there was one name heavily linked towards the end of the window who ultimately did not make the move, despite a fee being agreed between the clubs.
That player was Fares Ghedjemis, and Martin O’Neill has now explained why the deal collapsed while speaking at his press conference today.
Celtic had matched Frosinone’s valuation of the winger, understood to be around £6 million. Despite that agreement, the move stalled at player level.
Ghedjemis remains under contract, with his club also holding an option, and the winger has opted to stay put for now rather than make the jump mid-season.
O’Neill confirmed that Celtic had done their part but ultimately respected the player’s decision.
He said: [Celtic FC Youtube] “We had a deal set up with Frosinone for the lad coming in and he chose to stay. That’s entirely his decision to make. He wanted to see if Frosinone can get into Serie A. So that’s it.
“So, those things happen. They happen in the game. It happens from the 1st of January, it happens on the 24th and it happens later on. So, that does happen. It’s happened every single time. You can have things set up. You can be thwarted, as I said to you. Some players that we were in for have gone for, I wouldn’t call bigger clubs, but probably pretty big money and stuff like that.”
£6 million for a winger who has only completed one full season at top-flight level is a significant outlay, particularly in a January market inflated by scarcity and urgency.
In the end, Celtic walked away empty-handed, with Ghedjemis choosing continuity over change, and the club opting not to push the issue any further.
The Hoops did bring in a winger, though, in the shape of Joel Mvuka. He signed on loan with an option to buy in the summer
MON made some very shrewd decisions here. Loan deals made so much sense when you consider he isn’t buying for himself!
That’s the beauty of experience, integrity and genuine intelligence!
HAIL HAIL MON