Celtic enter the final hours of the transfer window with it still all to do. Are we simply out of our depth here?
Eric Knott 
Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Sport
If one thing has emerged from the three transfer windows since Brendan Rodgers returned to Celtic, its this; we do not have a skilled negotiator when it comes to transfers.
Last week, I wrote a long piece in which I took apart the fallacy that we are the best run club in Britain.
In that article, I pointed out that the man who is currently tasked with negotiating transfers is paid handsomely to do his job.
Around £750k per annum.
In hindsight, however, I’ve realised that maybe I didn’t analyse that particular subject as closely as I should have.
You see, I’m beginning to think we’re really starting to see how cronyism works, or more to the point, does not work.
In last week’s article, I explained that cronyism, by definition, is the appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority, without proper regard to their qualifications.
The key takeout from that is this; without proper regard to their qualifications.
To simplify this, you have to look forensically at what has happened at Celtic over the last three years or so.
Prior to 2021, Peter Lawwell was the skilled negotiator as CEO, when it came to player transfers.
Lawwell, by trade, is an accountant.
Therefore, he thought like an accountant, and to all accountants, every pound is a prisoner.
However, he also saw himself as the de facto director of football.
A position he was in no way qualified to fill.
And it showed.
Without going into too much detail, Lawwell saw himself as the ultimate hardball negotiator.
Unfortunately for him, nobody else saw it the way he did.
To anyone out-with the sphere of his ego, his behaviour when it came to transfers could only be construed as egotistic grandstanding.
And while it might have fed his ego, it was to the detriment of the footballing operation.
I only have to mention three names and you’ll know what I mean:
John McGinn, Timothy Castagne, and Ivan Toney.
Have a look at the trajectory of their respective footballing careers, and you’ll understand completely what I’m getting at.
Prior to now, I’ve spent enough time on the subject of Peter Lawwell.
I’m not going to do that today, but I had to reference him for you to fully understand what I’m fleshing out here.
And what it has led to.
In 2021, and early 2022, after Peter Lawwell resigned his position as CEO, Celtic experienced two of the best transfer windows in the club’s history.
The 2021 summer transfer window was overseen by the then new CEO, Dominic McKay.
Here are the major names secured then, the majority of whom are dearly departed, but I’m sure you haven’t forgotten:
Kyogo Furuhashi, Joe Hart, James McCarthy, Liel Abada, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Carl Starfelt, Josip Juranovic, Felipe Jota, and Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Whether Dominic McKay could be seen as a skilled negotiator or not, we’ll never know for sure.
Not long after that 2021 transfer window had shut, he resigned his positions for “personal reasons”.
Rumours circulated that his way of operating in the transfer market was considered a bit too “gung-ho”.
It was said that the clauses he inserted in deals, or lack thereof in some cases, caused “alarm” in the boardroom.
This was apparently due to a “lack of experience in transfer dealings”.
In other words, not every pound was a prisoner to Dom McKay, and that drove those of a bean-counting persuasion to distraction.
You know, those who had learned to adapt and operate in the way the previous CEO wanted during his 18 year tenure?
However, before we depart the subject of Dom McKay, it is vitally important that we discuss his legacy.
And that legacy must be discussed in monetary terms.
Simply because it was his negotiation skills, and the supposed monetary repercussions of same that may have brought about his downfall.
We will just focus on the transfer window he was involved in.
Firstly, I will focus on the players who are still at the club, and their current valuations:
Kyogo Furuhashi – £20 million (this is what the club values him at since the supposed Man City interest)
Cameron Carter-Vickers – £12 million
Market value of both – £32 million
Next, the players who were sold:
Felipe Jota – £25 million
Liel Abada – £10 million
Josip Juranovic – £7.5 million (with add ons bringing the fee eventually to £10 million)
Giogos Giakoumakis – £4 million
Carl Starfelt – £3.75 million
Total money banked by Celtic for the sales of these players – £50.25 million
Finally, there was only one failure from that window, and that was James McCarthy.
Joe Hart retired, and was a huge asset and presence within the club for three seasons.
So, the debate as to whether Dom McKay’s tenure was a failure or not can be quantified in monetary terms.
Between sales and player valuations, his acquisitions during the 2021 summer transfer window amount in total to £82.25 million.
Skilled negotiator?
Or an inexperienced chancer who just got lucky?
I’ll leave it up to you to decide.
Whether Dom McKay had any influence over the forward preparation for the January transfer window in 2022 is unknown.
But we now know the value of the players that came in at the start of that window.
Reo Hatate is now apparently worth £10 million after a “mystery French club” came in with a late bid last night.
I take all of the above with a grain of salt, and would confidently say that that story is a deflection tactic to take the focus off the current CEO’s negotiation failings, which I’ll return to soon.
Daizen Maeda, the third early acquisition in that window, is currently valued at £6 million.
I get the feeling he may be valued at quite a bit more by the time this season is through.
Yosuke Ideguchi, I think, was just unlucky due to the devasting injury he received at the hands of Bazza Ferguson’s hammer throwers, Alloa Athletic, in the Scottish Cup.
He never quite recovered from that.
So, let’s just surmise that Dom McKay was involved in the forward planning for the three Japanese players acquired in the January 2022 window.
That brings the total valuation of the players he may, or may not have been involved in acquiring to £98.25 million.
Now clearly, Ange Postecoglou had a heavy influence in these player acquisitions as well.
But the outcome of those two windows shows the relationship that the manager and the CEO had was very good.
During the short time they had together, they worked hand in hand with each other to form two of the best transfer windows Celtic has ever seen.
The monetary advantage afforded to Celtic from these two windows proves conclusively that Dom McKay was a skilled negotiator.
His time as head of the SRU proves that.
He oversaw huge reform in Scottish Rugby during his 13 year career in that field.
It is only now that we Celtic fans are really beginning to realise what we lost in Dominic McKay.
Which brings me back to cronyism, and Michael Nicholson.
Michael Nicholson, by trade, is a Sports Lawyer.
I would not profess to know what a Sports Lawyer specialises in, but I would go out on a limb to say that it isn’t transfer negotiations.
I do not need to go into the failures that have been the last three transfer windows at Celtic.
Not in the kind of detail I went into on the 2021, and 2022 windows.
You are all acutely aware of the failures these windows have been.
Culminating in what we’re witnessing at the moment as the 2024 summer transfer window draws to a close.
What is becoming more and more evident is that Michael Nicholson is simply out of his depth.
There is no other explanation for the abomination that this summer window has been.
Outside of the four player acquisitions of Schmeichel, Sinisalo, Bernardo, and Idah, which brought the team back to it’s 2023/24 season strength, Alex Valle has been the only outfield player he has managed to secure.
On a year long loan.
With no option to buy that we’re aware of.
With less than 48 hours left of an almost three month long transfer window, we are now scrabbling about, trying to get deals over the line.
It reeks of amateur hour, in fact, it is nothing less than amateur hour.
I’ve been over the course time, and time again on this subject.
I’m not doing it again.
The targets we have remaining are Arne Engels, Austin Trusty, and now since Mateus Bogusz has fallen through, apparently Alvyn Sanchez is back on the radar.
It will take £500k more to get Austin Trusty.
£500k.
If that move doesn’t happen, you now know its because we wouldn’t pay £500k more, with in excess of £100 million in the bank.
It’s likely that £1 million more will secure Arne Engels, and that will be a transfer record of £11 million for Celtic.
A transfer record enforced on the board, due to their inaction up to this point.
Clubs now know we are desperate to get deals over the line, so just like Augsburg are, they’ll keep jacking up the price.
Because they know they can.
We’re desperate.
But as Brendan Rodgers said on Sunday, “we don’t need to manufacture our own stress, when there’s no need.”
Well, we already have.
And it wasn’t Brendan Rodgers who created it.
He’s been stating what he needs since he walked in the door.
What you see unfolding in this transfer window is the result of cronyism.
This is the result of putting someone in a position without proper regard to their qualifications.
We are now at the point where we are panic buying.
And I mean by that, that we are going to be forced to spend money we would not have needed to if we had started negotiating for players last June.
God himself only knows why we didn’t.
We’ve already overspent on Adam Idah.
It is absolutely clear Michael Nicholson is not succeeding in the role he’s been given.
Celtic chose not to do a proper recruitment drive for a new CEO after Dom McKay left.
Not one single candidate was interviewed for the role.
Was it even advertised?
Instead, we promoted from within, in a move which was the epitome of cronyism.
Today, we are reaping what we’ve sown when it comes to that failed policy.
And that folks, is the reality here.
That is the fundamental difference between slotting a professional person who is qualified for such a role, into the position of CEO, and cronyism.
We got a glimpse of what that might look like in 2021.
I’ve broken it down for you by highlighting Dom McKay’s brief tenure.
Compare and contrast that to Michael Nicholson’s since then.
I rest my case.
Nicholson will either succeed or fail miserably in what is left of this brutal transfer window.
If he fails, he should fall on his sword.
Anything else can only be seen as a stay of execution.
Unless things change drastically between now and next January.
Do you see that happening?
I didn’t think so.
One hundred percent spot on.Nicholson way out his depth with his other cronies in that boardroom.
Well written and accurate in my eyes…Next 48 hours is massive for the European stage..domestically we will breeze it, but surely we have to have bigger aspirations than that…hail hail
Surely not!!! The same club that gave a manager the job in the showers… that scoured the world for a head of scouting and found out that it just so happened to be the son of the former CEO?! Same with coaching roles and pathway manager posts… We cannot afford to compete with the big boys for players but we can have the best (or near to) set up if we actually recruit the right people for the right jobs. Ironically, in our haste for the easiest and cheapest option it usually ends up costing us more.
The board, in operating in this manner, cronyism, are clearly demonstrating ineptitude! Agree with the simple monetary benefits of DM’s brief tenure. But his career since he left us certainly shows he is well respected in the rugger world, big loss to CFC!
Get engles in 11m.
Could it not be that part of it comes from Scotland failing abysmally at the Euros and the opposition Celtic face every week domestically ? If you were a young footballer attempting to forge a career at your sport ,would Scottish football be a priority destination in which to progress ? Yes ,sure there is Champions League to look forward to but that applies to most clubs in countries who would be interested in signing your talents as a footballer . Is Scotland a true bona fide place in which you are guaranteed to improve and advance your reputation ? It is for some , but it is most definitely not for a whole lot more . It’s a delicate balancing act in a lot of cases ,I believe .
Top class article but please stop referring to “us” in regards to the failures within Celtic F.C. I do understand what essentially you mean by ‘us’ but let’s pin exactly on who you really mean and that is the Celtic F.C. Board.
The only chance the fans have is boycotting CL tickets, stadium catering and merchandise. Is there a chance that will happen?
Not a hope in hell!
Hindsight the perfect vision
No mention of other clubs in your rant on transfers, like hibs charging us more than Villa , you are obviously not an accountant as the profits you claim you didn’t include the fees , wages and agent fees . Little mention of the successful negotiations completed by our club . Shares going through the roof , trophy cabinet bursting , banked monies extraordinarily high but sack the board there out their depth …
Maybe your resentments need addressed to individuals who have been a mayor success at Celtic employed by the man in charge who you fail to mention
If they were major successes, then we would be competitive in Europe. Simple as. You choose to ignore that, I don’t. If a club like Bodo Glimt can be successful in Europe, then it’s glaringly obvious that we could be too. We lack ambition, and if you can’t see that, you’re blind. Winning a two horse race regularly is not the definition of success. It pays us £3 million. Winning two games in the Champions League equates to £5 million in payments. Do the maths in relation to where REAL success lies!
The league hasn’t been won yet, I don’t sit with the” we will win in easy” brigade.
We are 2 or 3 injuries away from being a bang average team. The thought of Ccv, Hatate, kyogo out injured does not instill confidence. Replaced by a rusty idah, injury prone Welsh, who would step into Hatate position? Add in the cheating refs then we have a long season ahead.Celtic and Aberdeen will get dodgy decisions against them to make sure Govan fc are in with a shout.
Pistol Petes place man, he controls Nicholson like a puppet on a string simple as that & that is the only reason Nicholson is in that role apart from sheer laziness on the Boards part right enough. For those that honestly believe Lawell isn’t interfering in our transfer business as he is only the Chairman, wake up. Lawell should’ve been gone after the disastrous Covid season & not allowed to hide in a cupboard somewhere till his pal Desmond told him it was OK to slither back out. Then to rub it right in our faces & remind us exactly who is boss, Desmond rewarded him with the Chairmans position. They need reminded that this isn’t their trough to feed out off forever & they need replaced, they’ve all had a good shot at the gravy train, it’s time to move on. Sick of the sight of that shower now tbh.
The Celtic board expect the Celtic fans to match THEIR financial expectations every year (which the fans do), the board hoards all the money and refuses to match the fans European aspirations, as they label their own fans as “Entitled”, “Scum” and “Dirt”, when they are confronted about their penny pinching antics.
Amateurs that are paid like elite professionals. Can believe people sticking up for these ones responsible for our poor CL results.
A lot of bias and speculative nonsense – padding out events to suit your warped view of Celtic and exposing your utter lack of nous as to how a multi-million pound football club operates.
Dominic McKay done nothing for Celtic – he was an oval-peg in a round-hole.
We are a successful club and nothing the likes of you, or, you fellow ‘wee neds’ standing outside at St Mirren can ever affect that.
God, what the internet and social media has unleashed on us – spouting the rubbish you do in a Celtic pub would get you thrown out.
With ‘so-called’ friends like you, who needs enemies?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣PMSL
Spot on article – that setup needs to be changed asap.
For now -just heard that we have agreed to pay £11 million for Engels: if so let’s hope he’s the first of several much needed reinforcements before tomorrow night.
Judging by the article and the majority of the comments, a case could be made for awarding us the opposite of `The Greatest Fans in the World`.
Hi Eric,I don’t disagree that the board lack the skills required for the transfer market,however they do have other skills which drives the profit such as sponsorships etc etc.However you must I hope finally admit that the process for recruitment has changed and it will change further under Brendan who is driving the bus now.please reflect on my posts over the last couple of weeks. I said we would sign Idah despite your position that we wouldn’t.i also said we would break our transfer which we just have. Twenty million on two players.
Go figure.
Obviously we ARE the best run club in British football, which burns the backside of people like the writer, Mr. Knott, as well as several of our “doom and gloom” so-called Celtic fans.
I always smile when I read the comments from someone who demonstrates in their emails, just how often they attended school, when they proceed to tell the board of the best run club in Britain, how they should be throwing away their money without any caution. The “you have it, spend it” mentality is uppermost in the mind of the rocket-scientist.
Fresh from laughing at the demise of their biggest opponents when they died in 2011 due to mismanagement of their funds, these same geniuses scream for our board to do the same thing. This includes Eric Knott, the genius who wrote this column!
Oh, on a side note, havs anyone noticed we have spent over £26M so far in this window?
No, I didn’t think you had.
Funny that! You’d rather find negative stuff instead eh?
If you were a regular reader, Joe, you would note that not once have I ever stated that the board should spend all of the money we have, not once. I have suggested that we spend more than the customary £3 million we spend on projects, and maybe up that to £6 million. But not once have I been an advocate for spending it just because we have it. Our dallying in this transfer window has cost us dearly. Adam Idah was valued at £6 million when we took him on loan. We lowball offered Norwich £4.5 million for him and sat on it. This insulted Norwich, who jacked the price up. In the end we paid way over the odds than we should have. If we’d offered £6 million when the window opened, we’d probably have seen a completely different outcome. As for Arne Engels? We put ourselves in the position where we’ve had to pay £11 million for him by conducting our business this late in the window. They knew they had us by the balls. As for your £26 million? Where did you come up with that? £11 million for Engels, £8.5 million for Idah, £3.5 million for Bernardo, and £1 million for Sinisalo equates to £24 million, not £26 million. I know because we have so much money now £2 million might not mean much to you, but I sure as hell could use it if it came my way….
Cronyism? FFS, the PLC lot are worse than the masons. What am I saying? Many of them are masons. In most countries, this would not be a problem. In Scotland, many masons are members of the Orange Order…and that, most certainly, is a problem. No wonder the Huns on the board are happy with their lot. They’re earning fortunes, while holding Celtic back, at every opportunity.
Hail Hail.
Whether fans agree or disagree is 1 thing , yes we are a successful club with money in the bank ,on the flip side our best players are sold immediately as soon as a hefty offer is received, the board may be full of experienced business people but they are not capable of doing everything needed to run the team management side lawwell in particular is trying to control sides of the club that he is not qualified to do .
The transfers out happen immediately but players wanted in as signings is an embarrassing mess .
Too long to act is costing the club extra money with the foot dragging regarding signings that have been made clear to the board before the window opened.
Someone has to be behind this and we know who that person is , he wants to be central to everything inside celtic even when it is not his business to intervene.
Brendan Rodgers has already stated that the transfer side of things has to be addressed as soon as possible.
To the other comments posted by fans on this blog , personally
we do not want to spend every bit of money in the account, better planning and player’s added when required is sustainable, waiting to the last day’s of the window and scrambling for signings does not look like a very professional way to do business when teams know your running out of time, and the silence from the
board only makes fans feel they are out of their depth or comfort zones , as I said at the beginning , whether you agree or disagree everyone’s entitled to an opinion.
It’s a popular viewpoint among the Celtic support so you’ll get a lot of backing.
Unfortunately, the bias is evident and this as far as can be imagined as a balanced weighing of evidence. One eyed in the extreme. Some Falsehoods corrected:-
The world is full of accountant entrepreneurs.
John McGinn signed for the money and gave a cover story that Brendan didn’t promise him a first team place.
Some invented speculation:-
We overspent for Adam Idah?? proof
We’ll get Trusty for another £500k?? proof and is he worth it?
& Conjecture-
“We are now into panic buying”
What? Like Jota and CCV on the last day of the window that you just praised?
Obviously there must be Good “Dom McKay” Panic and Bad ” Mick N” panic.
And before the lazy Board Lover trait starts- I think Peter Lawwell should have been sacked in 2012/13 for lying to the support.
But go ahead and hit me with a string of emojis as a rebuttal, if that counts for discourse.
The top business men have never raised the club’s income. They have just sold assets over and over again.true proper business men raise income without selling prize assets
I think I had a post on here earlier but can’t see it now.
Has it been deleted. Mr. Knotts? I wasn’t aware of any breach of rules
Re Jim M’s comment to that “ Transfers out happen immediately “ have you been watching the Matt O’Riley saga. Board held out for an age to get best value for money resulting in highest ever transfer fee received
Re , Stevie Q.
I meant as soon as the club has an expensive asset as Matt was , he’s sold .
Might be good business for the board but weakens the team at the end of the window leaving us scrambling around for a replacement, why is this when the matt transfer was ongoing.