Season 13/14 | Vital Football

Season 13/14

wee_od_88

wee_od_88

Vital Football Hero
Summer is gone so thought I'd start a new thread.......

A few things to mention....

Forster is being heavily linked with a move to a top European club but it will probably be next summer rather than January. However it seems we have his replacement already identified.

Warner Hahn is the Dutch U21 No1 GK and is currently playing in the Dutch second tier. It is claimed we are interested and he would be very interested in a move, however he has stated he won't move anywhere unless he is going to be No.1. So he will only sign if Forster is definitely leaving.......

James Forrest has been linked with a move to Cardiff for at least £7m. Apparently he is on Malky Mackay's wishlist and they have scouted him but we have told them he isn't for sale and not to bother bidding.

The other move to mention is on the coaching front. It seems as though George Cadete is looking to get back into coaching and has discussed the move with Neil Lennon to come in as a dedicated strikers coach.
I thought we already had Benni McCarthy at the club helping him through his coaching badges so this in some ways would seem a bit strange but on the other hand, Cadete is a cult hero at the club and could really help Balde what with them both being Portuguese and hence speaking the same language. Danny McGrain has currently been working intensively with Balde but it would perhaps be better to give Danny's time to more of the players rather than mainly to Balde. A dedicated striker's coach would also surely be great for our young players like Atajic and our other younger ones yet to make it to the first team.
 
Veryglad to see Stokes sign a three-year deal. :emoticon:01 :emoticon:01 :emoticon:01 Hopefully, he will continue to seize the mantle and get even better. He has been terrific this year. What he really needs is a good partner.
 
I knew there was another bit of business I was to mention.....thank you welch!

Lennon has also spoken recently of handing Commons an extension to his contract and beyond that, when he retires......keeping him at the club as a coach.....Lennon believes helping him with his badges and putting him into the youth team to train our young players would be ideal for him, he has the ability and the personality to succeed it seems.....
 
I bet Lennon resigns Sammy, as well. He wants him resigned and I think Sammy likes it here. He could always be tempted by more money, but he has turned away chances to play in Serie A before so I'm not sure he is easily lured away.
 
Sammy will sign up too, Lennon wants him and he does love it here and says he would rather be here winning trophies than away somewhere else.

Ledley is also due a new contract and I know some people have been critical of him so far this season but he'll be signed up as well and I like him in midfield, I still think he's a good player and we miss him when he's not there. He's not been fully fit so far this season so this is essentially his season starting again now. Give him a little time and he'll be back toward his best.
 
Ledley is a good solid player and a good Celt. He is not spectacular, but he is good and he's a player who can at least start in league games if we need to spell others for European games. He reminds me of Robbo or Hartley in many ways, not loaded with talent but level-headed and hard working. Id sign him in a second.

As for Sammy, I get the feeling he may know his limits. If he goes to the EPL or Seria A or La Liga, his limits will be exposed and he could end up a fringe player. He is a star and well liked at Celtic and gets to shine in big games. He will be pressured to perform every week against top competition in those leagues. I don't think he is mentally tough enough to do that and may not be courageous enough to try it after bombing out at City. So Celtic is a good fit for him.
 
Contract talks have started with Samaras.

Contract talks are also to begin with youngster Lewis Kidd. The 18 year old hasn't featured for the first team yet but is very highly thought of. He's a natural midfielder but this season he has been getting used at RB where he has also impressed.
Kidd was playing well last season in the NextGen Series and has continued that form into the Champions League Youth Cup which has seen our young Celtic side play the youth teams of the same opponents as we have in the group. His impressive performances have led to interest from Ajax, FC Twente, Sunderland and Aston Villa. His contract expires at the end of the season so we are desperate to get him tied down to a new deal...I expect to see him going with the squad next summer for the pre-season games!
 
I agree with the comments on Sammy and Ledley. Neither will start in a "top" league and they would end up at a mid-table team at best and there would be no European football. Why not be heroes at Celtic and continue to get 6-10 European games a year? I can see the younger players wanting to move (like Wanyama), but the mid-career players hopefully know they are probably as good as they will ever be and that Celtic is a great place to be.

Forster is going to go either this winter or summer. There are rumors about Man City and they will pay top dollar so why not? Go sign the Dutch kid and keep investing in this squad. We have a nice core of veterans and some talent in development. We still have a shot at the CL knockout round, the league is a forgone conclusion, so losing young talent will be a yearly issue. As long as we make Wanyama kind of money it will all work out.
 
In other news, Celtic is linked with China's Zhang Xizhe. He plays for Beijing Guoan. I happen to own a Beijing Guoan jersey, having visited the stadium when I was there a few years ago. It's green and white like a Hibs jersey. It was my $30 souvenir from CHina while my wife got a jade bracelet for $500 or so. Anyway, this smells like Zheng Zhi all over again, which is to say that he's a decent squad player who will give CHinese fans a reason to watch SPFL games under the new tv deal the league just signed. We'll sell some hoops over there, too.

He is young and scored 12 goals in 32 matches last year from Midfield. But despite luring an idiot like Drogba, that league is no great shakes, obviously. As long as it doesn't cost too much, I say fine.
 
Agreed - if we can cover his salary with tv money and jersey sales why not? Korea and Japan have worked out well for Celtic and with a billion people it would seem that China would have to produce a few decent footballers, but then you could make the same argument about India and they are even worse that China.
 
We're about 50/50 on recent Asian signings. Ki and Naka were terrific. Koki Mizuno and Zhi were just OK. Mowbray probably overpaid for Zhi.
 
This new Chinese guy would make sense.......he would cover the LM spot and can play centrally as well......an attacking midfielder. Looks to be predominantly left footed but decent with his right foot as well.

If it helps us and Scottish football with the Chinese market......the deal will be done!
 
Mona Republic! Congrats to martin O'Neill and Roy Keane for taking the reins for the Irish team. That's a good combo. :emoticon:01 :emoticon:01 :emoticon:01 :emoticon:01
 
I hate to be that guy, but Hooper finally scored his first EPL goal and it was a penalty. Might he be having more fun in the CL this year?
 
So a little bit about the guy I posted a video of above.

Yosuke Kashiwagi - 25 year old (26 in December) playing for Urawa Red Diamonds in the J-League. He hasn't represented his country since February 2012 but considering he was instrumental in helping his club's success this season, I imagine he will be back involved. 9 goals and 12 assists in 41 games from midfield.

Many will say he's small and from Japan, he won't be able to adapt or won't be strong enough. I think he shows some good strength in the video but importantly he shows fantastic movement and incredible vision to pick out passes, quick first time passes that keeps the playing moving at speed. I think that's something we are missing and that's why I think he is the sort of player we need! If not him....someone like him!
 
Yoichiro Kakitani - 23 year old Japanese international attacking midfielder/LW/striker playing for Cerezo Osaka in the J-League. 23 goals and 4 assists in 45 games (including internationals). Same sort of thing applies as to the usual Japanese players, very good technical ability, not so good with strength but with the growing number of Japanese and Korean players in the European game, I think it shows there are many capable of playing at this level. Put it this way, this lad has been linked with moves to Werder Bremen, Borrusia Dortmund and Arsenal.......maybe we should get in there first?? I think we are clearly missing a trick with the Asian players, find the right ones and they are clearly capable of playing at the highest level.
I still maintain that given the recent performances of South Korea and Japan at the last 2 World Cups, their lack of apparent strength is clearly not a factor!

[youtube=yZKnLW4VpYM]
 
It seems we are closing in on Icelandic striker Holmbert Aron Fridjonsson. The 20 year old plays for Fram Reykjavic in his homeland and is an U21 internationalist.

It seems he has been on trial with us and the deal could be done in January. This is not the first time we have looked at young Icelandic players and indeed we may have taken this boy on trial a few years ago but didn't think enough to actually do the deal.

He is 6ft 3 and has scored 13 goals in 27 appearances coming from 10 in 21 in the league, 2 goals in 2 games in the cup and 1 goal in 4 games in the European U21 qualifying.

The video I have found is of a few goals in 1 game, the second of which is scored by our target. He appears to be playing more out on the left wing than a striker.

Still not the finished article striker we require but I'm not going to say no to more reinforcements....especially when he is only costing £120k.

[youtube=e1HDlBSdfRw]
 
The Daily Mail said he is Hooper's replacement. Maybe in four years. I do like that we're getting young, cheap talent to feed the farm system, though.
 
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