Outmuscled Again: Is This Just the Celtic Way

Another target slips through Celtic’s fingers, and once again supporters are left asking the same exhausting question: why does this keep happening?

Alfie Devine has completed a permanent move from Tottenham Hotspur to Preston North End, with reports putting the fee at around £6 million. Preston have backed themselves, moved decisively and got the deal done. Celtic, meanwhile, are once again watching from the sidelines.

Let’s be clear. There is no guarantee Devine would have chosen Celtic had both clubs made identical offers. Players make decisions for a variety of reasons. But what cannot be ignored is the recurring pattern that has become synonymous with Celtic’s transfer strategy.

The club identifies talent. Interest becomes public. Negotiations drag on. Other clubs move faster, pay what is required, and the player ends up elsewhere.

Supporters have seen this film far too many times.

The most uncomfortable aspect of this latest development is the comparison. Preston North End are an ambitious club, but they are currently in England’s second tier. Celtic are Scottish champions, regular participants in European competition and possess financial resources that dwarf the majority of clubs outside the Premier League.

Yet it is Preston who appear to have shown greater conviction.

That should concern everyone connected with Celtic.

For years the board has defended its cautious approach by talking about value, sustainability and responsible spending. Those principles have undoubtedly helped keep Celtic financially healthy. But there comes a point where prudence begins to resemble paralysis.

Football clubs exist to compete.

The balance sheet is important, but trophies, European progress and strengthening the squad should be equally important. Instead, supporters repeatedly watch promising targets disappear while negotiations become drawn-out exercises in penny-pinching.

Every transfer window seems to follow the same script.

Identify a player.

Negotiate endlessly.

Attempt to shave a percentage off the asking price.

Watch another club complete the deal.

Move on to the next target.

It is difficult to escape the feeling that Celtic’s reputation now precedes them. Selling clubs know Celtic will try to negotiate every detail. Rival clubs know hesitation creates opportunity. Players see uncertainty where decisive clubs offer clarity.

As things stand, Celtic have still not completed a senior first-team signing this summer. Camilo Durán appears increasingly likely to arrive, and if that deal is completed it will be a welcome addition. But one signing alone cannot disguise the wider concerns surrounding the club’s recruitment strategy.

The Champions League qualifiers are rapidly approaching. Every day without meaningful reinforcements increases the pressure. The squad still requires quality, depth and fresh energy if Celtic are to compete domestically and in Europe.

Supporters invest emotionally and financially in this football club every single season. They buy season tickets, merchandise, travel across the country and across Europe, and back the team through every high and low. In return, they expect ambition.

Not extravagance.

Not reckless spending.

Simply ambition.

Missing out on one player is never a crisis. Missing out on players year after year because negotiations stall has become something much bigger. It has become part of Celtic’s identity in the transfer market, and that is a reputation no elite club should be comfortable carrying.

Until Celtic’s hierarchy start matching the club’s financial strength with greater decisiveness in the market, stories like Alfie Devine’s will continue to feel painfully familiar.

For a club of Celtic’s stature, that should never be accepted as the norm.