Celtic might be ‘keen’ on Adrian Blake, that doesn’t mean it’ll be anything more than ‘keen’…

There’s a new word doing the rounds at Celtic this summer.

That word is ‘keen’.

Sky Sports News, via Anthony Joseph, are reporting that Celtic are ‘keen’ on Utrecht winger Adrian Blake.

A 20 year old wideman, valued at around £2.5 million, with just a year left on his contract.

And apparently, we’re ‘keen’.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard this word an awful lot down the years.

‘Keen’ is the twin brother of ‘keeping tabs on’, ‘monitoring the situation’, and my personal favourite, ‘preparing to make an offer’.

It’s the language of a club that does an awful lot of looking, and very little signing.

Make no mistake about that.

Being ‘keen’ on a player has never once put that player in a Celtic jersey.

Let me get this straight.

‘Keen’ isn’t a bid.

‘Keen’ isn’t a medical.

‘Keen’ isn’t a 20 year old winger walking out at Celtic Park in the Hoops.

‘Keen’ is a word.

And words are free.

Which, if I’m being honest here, is exactly why our board loves them so much.

Because a word doesn’t cost £2.5 million.

A word doesn’t require the absent meddling golfer to sign off on an email from his sun lounger in Barbados.

A word doesn’t disturb the world class fax machine down at Celtic Park.

Silent Mike can keep dozing.

You see, at Celtic, every pound is a prisoner.

And ‘keen’ is what you say when you want to look like you’re in the market, without ever actually spending a penny in it.

So who is Adrian Blake, then?

He’s a London-born lad who came through the academy at Watford.

Three first team appearances for the Hornets, then off to the Netherlands in 2023.

He started in Utrecht’s B team, in the second tier of Dutch football, before breaking into the first team last season.

Capped by England at under-18 and under-19 level.

And here’s the kicker.

You might already know his name.

Because he scored against us.

Blake was part of the Utrecht side that rocked up at Parkhead in the Europa League play-off back in January.

He netted their second in a game we won 4-2.

Excuse the pun, but he was pretty keen to stick it past us that night too.

So the grand plan, it would appear, is to replace Daizen Maeda – who’s made no secret of wanting his crack at the Premier League – with a 20 year old who found the net against us six months ago.

Fine.

I’ve no problem with that in principle.

Young, cheap, a year left on his deal, a club prepared to sell at a sensible number.

On paper, that’s exactly the kind of deal a well-run football club gets over the line before breakfast.

But we are not a well-run football club, are we?

The magic number here is £2.5 million. Watch us make even that look impossible.

This is where the fun starts.

Because £2.5 million is, by Celtic standards, loose change down the back of the sofa.

We spent £6 million on Camilo Duran, who’s already crocked.

We’ve one solitary signing that can kick a ball to show for seven weeks of a window.

And now we’re ‘keen’ on a £2.5 million winger with 12 months left on his contract.

A player Utrecht, who finished sixth in the Eredivisie, would bite your hand off to sell before he walks for nothing next summer.

This is the softest of soft deals.

Which is precisely why I don’t trust us to do it.

Call me a pessimist if you want.

I’d rather be a realist who’s watched this club operate for the last decade.

Here’s the bit that should worry you. We’re not the only ones who are ‘keen’.

The very same report tells us that Burnley and Wolves are also in for him.

Two clubs that got themselves relegated from the Premier League last season.

Two English Championship clubs.

And do you know what English Championship clubs do when they’re ‘keen’ on a £2.5 million player?

They phone Utrecht.

They agree a fee.

They sign him.

They don’t spend six weeks ‘monitoring the situation’ while the board waits for the sale of Arne Engels to clear so the money’s technically already in the building.

Anybody fancy placing a bet on which of these three ‘keen’ clubs actually gets Adrian Blake?

I’ll wait.

Us?? Genuinely??

Prove me wrong. Please, for once, prove me wrong.

Look, I’d love nothing more than to be sitting here in a week’s time eating my words.

I’d love to see Blake unveiled, grinning in the Hoops, another young talent through the door.

I really would.

Give me a signing, and I’ll be the first in line to say I got this one wrong.

But you’ll forgive me if I don’t hold my breath.

Because I’ve watched this exact film too many times.

We’re ‘keen’ on the striker.

We’re ‘keen’ on the midfielder.

We were ‘keen’ on half of Bosnia and Herzegovina a month ago, and we’ve signed precisely none of them.

‘Keen’ is not a transfer strategy.

‘Keen’ is a comfort blanket for a support that’s crying out for action.

So no, forgive me if the word ‘keen’ doesn’t set my pulse racing this morning.

Wake me up when ‘keen’ becomes a bid.

Until then, you can just suck it up.

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