I’m keen on this guy.
Sky Sports News sources understand Benfica have made a bid for Fraser Forster. Probably too late to sell him and secure a replacement but hopefully they’ll come back in for him next summer.
4m the rumoured offer. If we needed the money to fund a new signing then I’d be all for it but we’re really struggling to get players in even with the cash we already have and it’s very late to replace him anyway.
Cardiff have apparently been given permission to speak to Finnbogason. No way we’ll be matching their fee (€10m according to reports) or wages.
Nir Biton in his trial appearances for Manchester City:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pTmXYWI37M
Impressive against Dresden against Arsenal. Looks like the type of deep midfielder we’re crying out for.
And here’s his scouring video from his Ashod appearances in 2011/12 - first goal is a peach:
Also linked with Jires Kembo Ekoko:
[INDENT][SIZE=6]CELTIC AMONG HOST OF CLUBS KEEN ON AL AIN’S EKOKO[/SIZE]
http://www.sport360.com/football/celtic-among-host-clubs-keen-al-ains-ekoko
http://static.sport360.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/main_image/03-ekoko-(Read-Only).jpg
Scottish champions Celtic are one of a host of clubs interested in signing Al Ain winger Jires Kembo Ekoko, Sport360°understands.
Ekoko is free to leave the Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium this summer following the recent arrival of Michel Bastos from Lyon.
The Congolese star, 25, only joined Al Ain on a four-year deal from Rennes last summer, and despite helping the club to a second successive league title last term, he has been told he is surplus to requirements.
Ekoko was a notable absentee from the club’s recent pre-season training camp in Austria and an exit now looks a certainty before the transfer window closes next Monday.
Al Ain’s domestic rivals Al Nasr expressed an interest in the player last month, but have since turned their attentions elsewhere, landing Ibrahima Toure from Monaco and closing in on a deal for Vasco de Gama winger Eder Luis.
Clubs from England, France and Spain have made tentative enquiries about Ekoko’s availability as have Celtic who are in the market for reinforcements.
The Hoops have money to spend after selling key duo Victor Wanyama and Gary Hooper to Southampton and Norwich respectively earlier this summer for a combined £17.5million,.
However, their transfer plans are largely dependant on the outcome of their Champions League qualifier against Shakhter Karagandy on Wednesday night, with Celtic trailing 2-0 from the first leg in Kazakhstan.
Should the Hoops overturn the deficit and qualify for the group stages, however, a firm offer for Ekoko could be forthcoming although they could face stiff competiton for his signature.
Sport360° understands two Premier League clubs and one from the Championship have also asked to be kept informed of Ekoko’s situation with a season-long loan his most likely escape route.
A return to France, where he starred for six-years with Rennes before moving to the UAE, remains an option as Spain with interest from La Liga.
Ekoko made 28 appearances last season for Al Ain, predominantly from the right wing, and scored 10 goals.
Could we get Kagawa and/or Mata on a season long loan?
How many players are we expecting in before the window closes, lads?
I would estimate we will make two signings if we fail to make the CL and three if we do manage to.
I personally feel we need six.
[quote=“Rudi, post: 822629, member: 1052”]How many players are we expecting in before the window closes, lads?
I would estimate we will make two signings if we fail to make the CL and three if we do manage to.
I personally feel we need six.[/quote]
A centre back, a centre midfielder and a striker (all of reasonable quality) and I’d be relatively happy.
I’d put the priority signings in this order
- Central midfielder
- Right winger
- Central midfielder
- Left Back
- Centre Back
- Striker
[quote=“Rudi, post: 822635, member: 1052”]I’d put the priority signings in this order
-
Central midfielder
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Right winger
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Central midfielder
-
Left Back
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Centre Back
-
Striker[/quote]
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Agreed
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Yeah would be a nice to have but have Forrest there, Brown can play there if we’re stuck and we need either Boerrigter, Samaras or Watt to play out wide there sometimes or else there’ll be too much of a queue to play on the left.
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Not sure. Wouldn’t mind another option if it kept Mulgrew and Ambrose out of there but wouldn’t be my priority once we get one in.
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Nah, we have Izzy and Mulgrew and Matthews are very capable of playing there with Ledley in an emergency and after that we have a youth team.
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Need one I think - more than a left back anyway.
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You’re a stubborn man @Rudi. We badly need a goalscorer.
[quote=“Rocko, post: 822637, member: 1”]1. Agreed
2. Yeah would be a nice to have but have Forrest there, Brown can play there if we’re stuck and we need either Boerrigter, Samaras or Watt to play out wide there sometimes or else there’ll be too much of a queue to play on the left.
3. Not sure. Wouldn’t mind another option if it kept Mulgrew and Ambrose out of there but wouldn’t be my priority once we get one in.
4. Nah, we have Izzy and Mulgrew and Matthews are very capable of playing there with Ledley in an emergency and after that we have a youth team.
5. Need one I think - more than a left back anyway.
6. You’re a stubborn man @Rudi. We badly need a goalscorer.[/quote]
We badly need to start playing a striker, no point going out and buying one when Lennon point blank refuses to play them. Lennon is the stubborn man - how many times has Stokes come up with the goods to get Lennon out of sticky situations and found himself benched? How many times has Watt put in impressive performances and found himself out of the picture for the next seven or eight games? We have three strikers vying for one position and a manager unwilling to give any of them a shot at it. Stokes and Watt definitely deserve the chance to prove themselves, something they haven’t been afforded and Balde has just been signed and also deserves a shot. We have competition in that area, we don’t have competition at left back and Izzy’s defending has been quite slack for some time now, he needs someone there to push him. Matthews can play there but he’s not a natural and the same goes for Mulgrew.
Stokes, Watt and Balde are all good players as far as I’m concerned (well the jury is still out on Balde but I’ve seen glimpses that I like and I think he is well suited to playing the lone role when we come up against superior teams) - not forgetting Atajic as well who impressed at the weekend.
Izzy is the only natural left back in the squad, the three covering options you have mentioned all have an impact on other areas of the pitch. Mulgrew is in my opinion our most established centre back. Ledley is a key player in midfield for us and Matthews is much more at home on the right. It’s better to have someone who is a natural in the that position and won’t effect the balance and symbiotics of the team.
We need two midfield options for European games where we are going to set up with three across the middle. Kayal can’t be relied upon.
Ciani to Celtic story getting some attention in Italy this afternoon.
Adam Szalai, Schalke’s backup striker, broke his foot this evening apparently. That’s the end of Pukki leaving I’d say.
that agent is a corrupt cunt.
Ambrose was literally " flogged" as Ashdod wanted him out for any reasonable cash, however Celtic did ok with Kayal and Rami Gershon.
Biton is a fantastic player, as you all remember i compiled a very good post in the euro 2013 u-21 championship thread where i documented the quality of his performance when we beat England 1-0, a game i attended in Jerusaelm. He hit the bar from about 30 yards out and completely dominated the game.
He is a tall, gangly type character, very slight and moves pretty slowly about the place, but the quality of his passing and reading of the game is better than anything i have seen in the ligat’al
in the summer there was all these stories in yedioth ahronot about him going to benfica…they fell apart however.
He is a Moroccan Jew judging by his surname but on wiki they had this to say about his first press conference:
"He signed for celtic on the 28th of August, in his first Press conference he said “the Huns are fucking zombies and we’re the champions”
[quote=“mickee321, post: 823212, member: 367”]
. He hit the bar from about 30 yards out [/quote]
:rolleyes:
great… he’ll come in handy when Soccer Am come calling for the crossbar challenge…
Nir Biton has arrived in Glasgow to sign for Celtic. 
Just saw him and Peter Collins checking into The Marriott.
Hopefully we’ll make some solid signings over the next couple of days. I expect Biton, Ciani and Pukki to sing before the window closes.
On tonight’s game I though Mulgrew did very well at left back and I’d be willing to revise our need for another left back. I think we badly need a second central midfielder however, the limitations of Brown and Ledley were shown up tonight and we need some extra bodies in there. Thought Forrest was extremely headless tonight although he did have a few impressive moments in the latter part of the game and grabbed the decisive goal - I’m firmly believe we need another option for the right wing. Didn’t think Boerrigter looked too comfortable on the right.
Lennon confirmed that we’re just waiting on a work permit for Biton and that we’ve agreed a fee for Pukki.
I wasn’t aware the Scottish transfer deadline is Saturday night. Don’t think we will get any others in bar Pukki and Biton which I think is a disgrace considering our financial position and current squad.