Lennon Miller to Celtic is a no brainer. What we do not want is a repeat of the John McGinn saga seven years ago
Eric Knott 
In the summer of 2018, John McGinn to Celtic was a no brainer.
The manager wanted the player, the player wanted to come to Celtic because of his family ties to the club, and it all seemed like the pieces would fall into place for it to happen.
That was until Peter Lawwell decided to do a bit of grandstanding with Rod Petrie, his opposite number at Hibs.
He haggled with Petrie over a paltry couple of hundred grand, and while all of this was going on, Aston Villa came in and offered exactly what Petrie wanted for McGinn.
So arrogant was Lawwell in this saga, that he cockily believed John McGinn would sign a pre-contract as a result of being in the last year of his contract at Hibs.
He believed that Celtic would then get him for free at the end of the following season.
Needless to say, it all backfired, and made Lawwell look like a total fool.
Villa got McGinn, and the rest is history.
However, Lawwell’s behaviour throughout all of this really angered Brendan Rodgers.
He had made it clear he wanted McGinn, and to lose one of his main targets as a result of Lawwell’s grandstanding?
Well, that was the catalyst to him leaving Celtic a few months later and heading to Leicester.
Effectively, it was the beginning of the end.
To add insult to injury, Lawwell secured the signing of Youssouf Mulumbu from Kilmarnock to fill the void as a result of McGinn going to Aston Villa.
Mulumbu was 31 years old at the time, and made a total of 3 appearances for Celtic before being loaned back to Kilmarnock.
He never returned to Celtic after that.
It pretty much spoke volumes as to what Brendan Rodgers thought of that particular deal.
Seven years on, we are back at a critical juncture in Brendan Rodgers’ second stint at Celtic.
Most of us are wary of a repeat of the 2018 transfer window.
Rodgers is heading into the last year of his contract, and has yet to pen a new deal or an extension.
Celtic are in need of four to five decent players.
The whole situation could either be very complicated, or very simple.
The simple approach would be to negotiate a contract extension with Brendan Rodgers, and then supply him with the players he’s looking for.
But as we all know, the Celtic board doesn’t do simple.
Now, one of the potential players that Celtic are interested in is Lennon Miller.
Anybody with a passing intertest in the game can see what an emerging talent Miller is.
He has more than held his own in the centre of midfield for his current club Motherwell.
In fact, Miller had the distinction of Captaining his club at just 18 years of age in the 2024/25 League Cup semi-final.
With 77 appearances for the club, there’s no doubting this kid is going places.
He is mature beyond his years, and he is the kind of player who is tailor made for Celtic.
Motherwell’s reported asking price for the player is £4 million.
Celtic, for some reason, always seem to baulk at prices asked by fellow Scottish Premiership clubs.
And if Rodgers is serious about wanting Miller, then the reality is, £4 million isn’t a crazy asking price for him.
Especially considering the level of maturity he has shown at Motherwell.
Combine that with the amount of experience he already has, and it’s clear we’re looking at a player who is a couple of levels above where David Turnbull was when we signed him.
He has also been capped twice for Scotland.
Signing him is a no brainer, and £4 million represents serious value for money.
What we do not want here is a repeat of the John McGinn scenario.
Where the club goes in and lowballs Motherwell.
We saw the stark results of lowballing in the pursuit of Adam Idah last summer.
Meet Motherwell’s asking price, and then it shows good faith on our behalf.
If they mess us around after that, then it was never meant to be.
But if – by grandstanding like we did with John McGinn – we lose Miller to another club who is happy to pay their asking price, then I fear a deja vu like 2018 could rear it’s ugly head.
We all know what direction things headed after that.
So, if the club is interested in Lennon Miller, then show the player – and his club – the respect they deserve by meeting their asking price.
If Rodgers wants the player, then it will show that the board are serious about working hand in hand with the manager.
Surely they have learned lessons from last years summer window?
Surely they won’t make the same mistakes again?
Over to you Silent Mike…
If Miller is in demand , Lawwell must realise that other clubs would like him , so it’s a dead simple message to Lawwell, put your money where your mouth is or you will lose him.
If the boy had any sense he would go to Italy. Waste of talent staying in this pub league. He will get proper coaching there.
It’s Groundhog Day!! 😁Anyone paying attention to the last 20 years of DD owned PL running Celtic is resigned to this playing out the way we expect. BR requires capital investment to sign a new contract. PL refuses to sanction that investment. BR sees out his contract on the bones of his arse as any motivation or inspiration drains from the team and the club. Sevco squeeze enough handshakes and home draws to get League Cup and Celtic implode in League as players and club know Brendan is off and The O** F*** is alive and well under PLs management!
Eddie, nailed it.
As long as Lawwell is anywhere near the Club he will have ultimate control of the purse strings, Invisible Mike is just an overpaid Marionette dancing to Daddy Lawwell’s tune. PL has Spent enough time, 20+ years, moulding the Club in his own image, to even consider relinquishing control over spending to a ‘mere’ Football Manager.
Sell Lawell and all will be well.
We are already going backwards since Lawell re-emerged.
Ange decided to go soon after Lawell became Chairman.
No need to say anymore than Lawell is Celtics stumbling block.
As per usual , the SMSM is already doing their bit and more to try to influence Miller to either play in Europe or in the land of england land ….they are desperate for him to sign for ‘ anyone but Celtic ! Rather than promote the Scottish game if young Miller signed for Celtic FC for a huge fee , that mob would be exulted if he was ‘ Joe the Toff ! ‘ This type of story should be a scoops Godsend , yet they treat it as ‘ bad news ‘ with negativity in abundance to accompany it . On the other hand , if the guy was to somehow sign for the Ibroxland clumpany it would be portrayed as the greatest piece of business ever witnessed in Glasgow …EVER ? It’s a disgrace how the scoops operate with impunity , almost every day !