Opinion: Expect a High Profile Celtic Exit

Earlier today, we laid out Celtic’s business so far this summer and to be honest it has been quite surprising.

We are bringing in players to cover key areas where we were lacking. A goalkeeper was a must, of course. Five players in the door and there’s a month of this transfer window still to go.

We have been covering Celtic for a long time and I’ve been a supporter even longer. In my educated opinion, Celtic are not done in the transfer market, I think there will be one or more signings still to come in, but I also think there will be a major exit.

Here is Celtic’s incoming business this season so far:

Thoughts on our business to this point?

✅ Barkas, £4.5m
✅ Ajeti, £5m
✅ Turnbull £2.5m
✅ Moi Loan
✅ Shane Duffy Loan pic.twitter.com/PHNOPCuV9k

— CeltsAreHere (@HereCelts) September 2, 2020

Celtic fans can hide their heads in the sand if they like but Celtic were not immune to the COVID crisis when it came to finances. Now, everyone is back to full remuneration, the club’s coffers are being hit. Celtic going out and spending money, while welcome, means we have to balance the books somewhere. The hope was Champions League football could put us back in a great position but we couldn’t clear the second hurdle. The money we’ve missed out on for the third season means Celtic will do what they did the last two seasons – sell one of their biggest assets.

This season is very different – other than the ten in a row scenario being in play, I would be telling you straight off the bat to get ready to say Au Revoir to our top striker Odsonne Edouard. But this is no ordinary season because there are such high stakes, I believe Celtic have good intentions when it comes to keeping the striker. Having good intentions and not selling the player before the window are two different things. If Celtic get their valuation of Eddy, whatever that is, the club will find it very hard to turn it down.

There is another option where one or two first team players go for decent money, giving the club scope to knock back approaches for Eddy with confidence. Kristoffer Ajer seems like a man who wants out of the club. Shane Duffy has signed but if anybody has seen both play, they are very different players. Duffy should not be a direct replacement for Ajer but he could facilitate the club cashing in on the Norwegian and give the board space to find a replacement. Ajer should go for decent money, add onto that a potential Tom Rogic exit and Olivier Ntcham – you could see a scenario where all three go to make space in the squad and prop up the club’s coffers.

We don’t want to see any of our stars go but this a business. If Edouard goes, the board gamble with ten in a row, if we were to lose the league, there would be hell to pay.