Who?
19 year old from Ipswich a native of Camden Town
Seems he fell out with Mick McCarthy .
Fell out and made up again, seems his attitude was a problem
Great to see Brendan Rodgers managing this eejit out of the club:
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Great stuff yesterday with Kenyu in and McGuinness out.
Anything else happening, bhoys? I see Fabio Borini is set to join Milan.
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Rodgers made some positive noises yesterday about our one signing. Someone who will add power and pace or something like that. Certainly sounds like we have one definite target in mind.
Charly Musonda strongly linked today. Seems to fit the recent quotes from Rodgers about “a big talent” who we are trying to sign.
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My Real Betis contact reckons he will be a good fit
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Looking forward to getting the opinion of the Chelsea fans on here. Certainly seems like an upgrade over the type of signing we were chasing a couple of years ago. But the huns were raving about Rossiter last summer. You need a bit more about you than simply being at an EPL academy.
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I’ll give this one my approval. I’d still like another winger in though.
Is Ajer going out on loan again?
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Some talk of this potentially being a loan move for Musonda which would be a pity. But he was at a Celtic game in May so the story seems genuine anyway.
Article
DEDRYCK BOYATA has been blown away by Celtic’s interest in Charly Musonda — insisting the £5million-rated Chelsea kid is the next big thing in Belgium.
Boss Brendan Rodgers has identified Musonda, 20, as his top summer target.
Negotiations over a deal are at an early stage.
But Boyata reckons it would be a major coup if Rodgers could sign a player he describes as the FUTURE of Belgian football.
Boyata said: “Today when they talk about the future of the national team his name is always there.
“I’ve known Charly since he was 12. He’s a very talented player.
“The hype around him has been confirmed by the fact he is playing for Chelsea.
“I have seen him play so many times and I can tell he is a very good player.
“He needs some time to play and show what he can do.
“But he is a player who can confirm all the hype around him.”
Celtic have been trailing the No 10-style midfielder for the last six months while he has been on loan with Real Betis in Spain.
Rodgers now hopes Musonda can be signed before the end of the transfer window.
Parkhead chiefs are weighing up their next move and haven’t ruled out the possibility of taking the starlet on a loan deal, although their preference is to make him a Celtic player on a permanent basis.
It would be a major signing for the Scottish champions considering the youngster was tipped to go all the way to the top from an early age.
He came through the ranks at Anderlecht, where his father Charles was a player.
Then at the age of 15, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Manchester City all tried to sign him.
Musonda was lured to Chelsea in 2012 along with his two older brothers, Lamisha and Tika.
He hasn’t made an appearance for Chelsea but was loaned to Betis 18 months ago to aid his development.
In 2015, Musonda signed a contract extension with the English champions to keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2019.
But Celtic believe things have change and that he is now available to be snapped up.
Boyata added: “He is a very skilful player who can play as a winger or as a No 10.
“He is very talented around the ball, he has very good touches.
“He is small, but quick for his size.
“I don’t want to make comparisons to someone else, but he is one who wants to show what he can do.
“I don’t want to compare but I can guarantee he is a very good player.”
Celtic have been working quietly behind the scenes to get a deal done for Musonda.
Rodgers identified him as his No1 summer signing target six months ago, with the groundwork done to lure one of Europe’s big talents to Scotland.
That saw Musonda come to Celtic Park to watch the team in action in May.
Boyata added: “I saw him last season because he came to watch a game against St Johnstone at Celtic Park when we won 4-1.
“I saw him at the stadium because he came to watch the game and I saw him at the airport as well because we were on the same flight.
“I guess he came to watch a game I think, but I don’t know anything else.
“He seemed impressed with what he saw, he was very happy with the style and the way we played.
“The last time I saw him play, I can’t remember what game it was, but I watched it on TV and he helped Betis to win the game.” Asked if he was aware of Celtic’s interest in signing Musonda at that time, Boyata smiled and added: “Well, I saw him.
“He hasn’t really told me anything because in his position players don’t really want to be talking about stuff if it’s not confirmed.
“If he asks I will say it’s a great place to be.
“Lately for me Celtic has been very good and if anyone asks about my situation today I can only be positive.
“The Champions League nights are unbelievable. For me, I think everyone should see that experience.
“You need to be at Celtic Park on Champions League night. I can tell you that I’ve told him that already.”
Boyata rates Musonda as the next big thing in Belgian football.
Which is some statement when you think about the talent they have with the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Christian Benteke, to name just three of their superstars from their golden generation.
Asked if Musonda will be worth big money one day, Boyata added: “If I had to bet I would say yes, but you have to confirm that on the pitch.
“From what I’ve seen he is a very, very talented player.
“When we talk about the future of Belgian football his name is there — that tells you all you need to know.”
My latest information is that Musonda is a target but not necessarily the one we’ve been trying to get for 6 months.
For the record, this is what Brendan had to say about that player at the weekend:
“It’s been a period of six months. Celtic have been great in trying to make it happen and if we can close the deal out, it will be a high level of quality. It’s good money that will be spent on the player who is of a substantial pedigree and quality. He is young but he is a big talent and he has experience.”
My information is that this is more of a central player we are after.
Do you know who the main target is, bro?
I don’t. My understanding is that it’s a #8 type player, valued at > £6m.
Is it not Bojan then? He’s more of a 10 (ten) than an 8 (eight).
Correct. I think it’s a better target than Bojan. It may be an 8.5 - like a Liam Brady type. I don’t want to say too much for fear of revealing my sources.
Pasalic?
Saidy Janko has joined Saint-Etienne.
Boyata has been ruled out for 3 months apparently - not sure what the injury is.
Scott Brown limping off here against Shamrock Rovers. Could do without him picking up an injury too.