Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon has had his say on the debate surrounding Celtic’s recruitment in the January transfer window that saw Nicolas Kuhn arriving from Rapid Vienna for a £3m transfer fee and Adam Idah signing on a short term loan with no option to buy from Norwich City.
There’s a report in an Irish media outlet that suggests that should Celtic wish to sign the Ireland international striker in the summer then the fee that Norwich would be looking for would also be £3m.
If that £3m figure is the benchmark for Celtic’s expenditure then it’s going to be interesting over the remaining months of the season to see the level of ‘quality’ that kind of money buys.
Celtic are now involved in a close fight for the Scottish Premiership title and hope to retain the Scottish Cup too, with a difficult tie this weekend away to St Mirren to be negotiated before we can think about a Hampden appearance this season. Lose on Sunday and there will be none.
Neil Lennon is of course well connected to the Celtic Board having had two spells as manager as well as a successful playing career. He remains a divisive figure within the Celtic support, with many fans not ready to forgive and forget the events of the Covid season when Lennon clung to his job when it was clear that a change was needed. They point to the lesson having being learnt across the city this season when Michael Beale was hastily removed as it was clear he had lost his way at Ibrox and the arrival of Philippe Clement has resulted in them closing the gap on Celtic.
Indeed a 3-0 win this evening would take them to the top of the league for the first time since losing 3-0 to Celtic under the lights at Paradise in early February 2022.
The former Celtic manager, speaking on PLZ Soccer, entered the conversation and gave his insight into the transfer window outcome that left the Celtic support frustrated and concerned when the window closed. That led to the banner at Pittodrie at weekend that was initially displayed ahead of kick-off that read “Celtic board – on your heads be it”.
But Lennon reckons the support does not have access to all the facts and have no real idea what efforts Celtic made in January. We do know from Brendan Rodgers that a few deals came close but clubs were unwilling to sell at that particular time.
“How do we know that Celtic haven’t tried to spend £10-12million on a player, or £15million? Can we attract players of that quality, of that price to Scotland?” he asked rhetorically.
“What I am saying is that I am sure they have looked around for these types of players. They might not be available. They might not want to come. The fact that they are out of the Champions League, it might not be as appealing as it were at the start of the season as well.
“They have spent some money in the summer. I don’t know how many players they have brought in. Whether the fans think they are good enough or not is another thing. That’s then a matter of opinion and it has nothing to do with the board’s decision to spend the money or not.
“It has worked (project signings). Won the Treble last year. It’s not an exact science, you’re not going to get them all right.”
Whether you agree with Lennon or not, he is bang on the money when we states that there is a title race on, the window is shut and the Celtic players themselves have to change the narrative by winning games. And the Celtic support needs to get behind the team and give them our full backing – 100% and no less – because that is the best way to ensure that the title is won. Starting at Easter Road tomorrow night, 100% and no less.
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