Summer transfer, gossip and speculation thread

[Des Little]

With the way Bruce plays you would be better off with Gestede back. Assombolonga always looks out of shape to me, and we have a prolific short fat striker already.

Gestede was a dreadful target man, he attacked a ball well but couldn’t hold up play at all.

Watching him trying to trap the thing was enough to make a grown man weep.

[footyskillz]

Lots of midfielders already at club can’t get a game and we’re buying more, but surely our desperation dept is strikers. Lots mentioned but no arrivals at training ground or rumours of medical as booked.....should we be concerned ?

Agree . Just hope the balance in overall squad will be there as lots of cover in that area , GK And right backs.

[Steve67]

Lots of midfielders already at club can’t get a game and we’re buying more, but surely our desperation dept is strikers. Lots mentioned but no arrivals at training ground or rumours of medical as booked.....should we be concerned ?

Agree . Just hope the balance in overall squad will be there as lots of cover in that area , GK And right backs.

There may be lots in terms of numbers but where is the quality?  Other than Jack?  Jedinak and Whelan can only play one way, Hourihane is anonymous, Thor clearly isn't fancied by Bruce, Tshibola and Gardner are crap and Lansbury is not up to it either.  The youngsters cannot be relied on totally just yet. Whilst I agree that we need a proper hold up front man, we could also do with a creative midfielder (hopefully McGinn) and a dominant, better version of Jedinak.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

Andy King of Leicester being linked now.

[Richard]

30 soon no thanks

[Des Little]

I hope our medical room is big enough

[Ads]

Andy King is Twitter fabrication. Fake news people.

[tomd2103]

The Man City lad looks handy if we get him. And Ojo would be a good loan out wide, this allowing Green to possibly play through the middle. If Kodjia rediscovers a bit of confidence, Green has shown he can play through the middle, Hogan is still here, Davis is still here and we could be getting the kid from Man City, plus RHM and Knibbs we have a fair few strikers. Just got to get them going a bit.

None of those mentioned are the type of striker we need though.  As last night showed again, we play a lot of long balls up to the striker and we need someone with a physical presence who can hold the ball up.

Hence my Gestede comment. We need a target man.

Agree mate, I think it's an absolute priority.  We need someone like Grabban (not a world beater for us last season, but did a decent enough job) - strong enough to hold the ball up and mobile enough to pose a threat in behind. 

I want to see someone up there who is a real nuisance for defenders and makes it tough for them, not balls being pumped up to Kodjia or Hogan and defenders winning it virtually unchallenged.  Then when they tire, on comes Davis or Hepburn-Murphy to work them some more.  Like it or loathe it, that's the way we are going to play under Bruce so we need someone who can do that job.

[David_Nab]

Celtic matched personal terms we have offered to McGinn up to player to decide according to the Scotish press

[Toronto Villa]

Celtic matched personal terms we have offered to McGinn up to player to decide according to the Scotish press

You have a chance to get out of Scotland you take it. He'll be ours by tomorrow.

[eamonn]

What about Bristol Bryan, is he still weighing-up Pulis and Bruce, dreaming of them in his sleep?

[sickbeggar]

What about Bristol Bryan, is he still weighing-up Pulis and Bruce, dreaming of them in his sleep?

That's a nightmare more like. I'd probably announce my retirement faced with that choice.

[KevinGage]

Rodgers saying nice things about the Villa again

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens, Celtic manager Rodgers said: “He is a player that we clearly wanted to bring here. “I was really interested in bringing him in from a few months back. “We haven’t been able to complete a deal and when of course when you don’t complete a deal on a player it always opens the door for other teams – a club like Aston Villa, who have clearly interest in him, who have a big history of their own, a great club with excellent facilities and now financial backing. “So we have to wait and see on that one.”

[ozzjim]

Shame if Celtic have used us a stalking horse to get McGinn over the line, he looks a genuinely good player, and should test himself in a competitive league, not one where there are 30 pre season friendlies and a few local derbies. Oh and going out of Europe at the first opportunity.

[mr underhill]

I'd be amazed if he chooses us over Celtic.