Peak insanity as Everton walk away from Celtic’s Alistair Johnston valuation. Imagine that? Another club treating Celtic the same way they treat everyone else?
Everton and David Moyes give Celtic a little taste of their own medicine...
Eric Knott Would you look at that.
Somebody has finally given Celtic a taste of their own medicine.
Everton have walked away from Alistair Johnston.
Not because they don’t want him.
Not because the player doesn’t fancy it.
They’ve walked away because they don’t like our price.
Sound familiar??
Here’s the Daily Record on it:
Everton have cooled their interest in Alistair Johnston after failing to reach an agreement with Celtic.
The Toffees had targeted the Canada World Cup star as a replacement for Seamus Coleman this summer.
However, Record Sport understands the Premier League outfit are now working on other options after failing to meet Celtic’s asking price.
It’s believed the Scottish champions are holding out for upwards of £15million for the defender, who arrived in a £3m deal from MLS side CF Montreal in January 2023.
Read that back slowly.
Because I had to.
Celtic set a valuation, the other club decided it wasn’t worth it, and off they went to somebody else.
That is the entire story.
That is also, word for word, what Las Palmas did to us on Tuesday.
And what Paderborn have been doing to us since the middle of July.
The only difference is the direction of travel.
Now, before anybody starts, let me be absolutely clear on something.
Celtic are not wrong here.
£3 million in January 2023, £15 million and upwards now, for a Canada international who has played in a World Cup and started Champions League nights.
That is exactly the kind of return a properly run football club should be getting on a signing.
I said the very same thing about Paderborn a fortnight ago.
Their player, their valuation, their right.
Celtic always reserve that right for themselves, so why shouldn’t anybody else?
The problem isn’t the valuation. The problem is that this club demands the respect outward that it point blank refuses to give inward.
Because look at what we’ve been at this past fortnight.
Paderborn want £4 million for Mika Baur, not a penny less.
The gap is £257k.
Two hundred and fifty seven thousand pounds.
Sebastian Lange went to Kicker and said “everything that has come in so far is in no way financially viable for us”, and we’re still sat there haggling like a man at a car boot sale.
Then there’s Dinko Horkas.
Las Palmas want £5 million plus fifty per cent of any future sale.
We offered £4 million, paid over four years.
Their president, Miguel Angel Ramirez, went and told a Spanish newspaper that our offer ‘isn’t attractive’.
Ours is the only offer he has received, by the way.
Nobody else is bidding, the player has downed tools, and they’d still rather have him marking out the eighteen yard box than take our money.
So that’s £257k here, a million there.
And meanwhile we’re across the table from David Moyes going “£15 million, take it or leave it”.
Peak insanity.
And here’s the bit that should sting – Everton behaved impeccably.
They didn’t brief the press that Johnston was overrated.
They didn’t leak a line about how they were never really that interested anyway.
Moyes actually phoned Martin O’Neill directly to tell him he wanted the boy.
Then, when the number didn’t suit, they said no thanks and moved on to Guela Doue at Strasbourg.
That’s exactly how a grown-up club conducts itself.
That is precisely what Las Palmas did to us.
That is precisely what Paderborn did to us.
It is what we do to absolutely everybody.
There are no villains in any of this.
Celtic have simply discovered what it feels like from the other end of the phone, and it turns out we don’t much care for it.
Except the sting here isn’t wounded pride, it’s the squad.
Because we might now end up with the worst of every world.
Johnston fancied the move.
O’Neill said so himself:
“I’ve spoken to Alistair on the back of the interest. It was one of those where he is perfectly happy here at the football club.
“But like anything else, your head can get turned very quickly, particularly if it’s a really good club.
“Ali wouldn’t leave here for a second-class Premier League outfit, if there is such a thing. But if a big club comes in, it’s something you’d have to look at. That is only natural as well. If I was a player, I’d be exactly the same.”
The manager is being straight with us there, and fair play to him for it.
But a head that has been turned doesn’t always turn back.
Julian Araujo isn’t riding to the rescue either, because he’s just had surgery on his left thigh in Austria.
No Baur.
No Horkas.
No Araujo.
Fifteen out the door this window, a handful in.
And a £40 million Champions League play-off against LASK sitting there in a fortnight.
O’Neill’s own words on it: “It is pressing because we would like to have as strong a squad as possible for those Champions League games.”
Pressing.
You’d never guess it from the fax machine, would you?
Give credit where credit is due – if Nicholson holds firm on £15 million and gets it, I’ll be first in the queue to applaud.
I genuinely will.
Standing firm on the value of our own assets is the one half of this job the board have ever been any good at.
But you cannot be a hard-nosed negotiator on Monday and a man haggling over £257k on Tuesday.
You cannot demand that Everton respect your valuation while telling Paderborn and Las Palmas that theirs are fantasy.
Well, you can.
We do it every single window.
You must always follow the money at Celtic, and every pound is a prisoner for the double billionaire – the ones coming in and the ones going out.
Silent Mike doesn’t do negotiations.
He does numbers.
And this week, for once, somebody sent one back down the line at exactly the same volume.
It was ever thus…
Key Takeaways
- Everton walked away from Alistair Johnston due to price concerns, mirroring Celtic’s recent negotiations with Las Palmas and Paderborn.
- Celtic’s valuation of £15 million for Johnston reflects a proper return on asset investment, highlighting their right to set prices.
- Despite valuing their players, Celtic struggles to accept similar valuations from other clubs, leading to confusion in negotiations.
- While Everton handled their interest in Johnston professionally, Celtic’s approach has been inconsistent and contentious.
- The squad faces uncertainty as Celtic fails to secure new signings while approaching crucial Champions League matches.
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Bhoycie 
Aodhán Ó Conchobhair 
It’s rapidly approaching the point if it’s not already there where players and agents will be ultra cautious about joining Celtic FC because of the amateur hour dealings of this inept incompetent and unfit for purpose current board ? Not only that but I would not be surprised to learn that current players are willing and eager to leave Celtic FC because of the intolerable way the board acts and does business on behalf of the club ? Would you be shocked to learn that the squad and management and coaching staff are not exactly on speaking terms with all board members because of the way the club is being administered ? I wouldn’t …not in the slightest !
No club would agree to a 50% sell on clause
AJ is worth more than 15m.
You are not comparing like with like, players we go in for at a fair valuation suddenly get hyped.
Paderborn player is between 4 and 5 million max and we bid the lower threshold of that range but they suddenly quoted us between 7 and 8.
Its like us suddenly saying Johnston is worth 40 mill (knowing that a fair price is upwards of 15) and getting stroppy when they bid 12 plus add ons of 2.
Touneki was quoted to other clubs for around €3 mill before we went in for him then a price jump and ended up paying probably double.
I think we will get players in and happy with the movement and targeting but like everybody else concerned about the pace.
Agents would sell their mother’s to make a quid, so not sure that their feelings apply. Have a listen to Bill McMurdo and his methods around our club
It`s better to have Johnston in the team against Lask where £40 million could be at stake, than the fee that Everton are offering to buy him at .
I wonder what the craic would be among the Celtic bloggers if Celtic lost out on a multi million pound purchase if it was going to be £275,000 (the shortfall in the Bauer offer) over the limit of their FFP spending.
And how many would buy a new car of house before selling their existing.
‘You must always follow the money at Celtic’ …
That’s funny, I gave you a massive tip to tot up Celtic’s Operating Expenses 5 or 6 months back and you haven’t followed that money once.
In fat, you’re so lazy that you wanted me to do all the work then tried to entice me into writing the articles for you with an offer of a ‘writing apprenticeship’ ie, For nothing! 😂
A clueless 40 year old Daily Record reader offering professional writers ‘apprenticeships’ (sic) because he’s too scared, to witless or too lazy to do it himself …
You’re an embarrassment, mate.
But only to yourself.
And your missus, if she reads this mainstream-fed shit of yours.
There is nothing positive about Celtic for you Eric is there. Generally fans of all clubs at times are critical of their Club and they always know better how it should be run.
You have taken it to another level that almost borders on hate for Celtic. Yes change is needed at our club but your tact will never achieve that change.
Now you have tried to stick the boot in to them fort kicking out Evertons bid for AJ. as too low Rightly so in most fans estimation.
It’s not that long ago that you were moaning about us accepting a fee for Kuhn as being too low. Kuhn now looks like he is getting dumped from his new club. Many think he was a flash in the pan.
One thing for certain is you have no idea of the dialogue between agents selling clubs buying clubs and agents double dealing but hey who fekin cares let’s trash Celtic.
Yes we want desperately to have positive change bot this constantly trashing them even when they might deserve such as
Kicking out Evertons bid for AJ. is in no way going to help.
I love Celtic Weebarra, and yes you’re right with your language, I absolutely despise the way the board run our club. Despise it. Hate it. It is Abhorrent. I cannot stand it. But Celtic? I love Celtic and only want the best for it. Would you say we’re getting the best? Would you?