Celtic appear to have played a blinder when it comes to the contract that they have managed to work out with Brighton Hove and Albion for Shane Duffy.
This transfer saga might have dragged on for a long time but it is worth waiting for good things. And that is exactly what happened with Celtic announcing the signing of Shane Duffy for a season-long loan from Brighton and Hove Albion.
Many Celtic fans had given up hope on the deal ever happening considering how long the deal was taking and with reports even suggesting that English clubs were willing to pay for a permanent deal.
It was always clear though that Duffy wanted a move to Parkhead to be part of their 10IAR campaign. It is common knowledge that he is a boyhood Celtic fan and perhaps that is what ended up securing his move to Scotland.
Now securing the signing of someone like Shane Duffy is a major coup for Celtic. At 28 years of age, he is in his prime and has years of experience playing at the top level. What is even more impressive though is the fact that they have managed to get a huge discount on both the loan fee as well as his salary.
As reported by the Daily Record:
"The defender will join up with Neil Lennon’s side when he returns from Republic of Ireland duty next week, having agreed a move from Brighton. Record Sport understands Duffy has forced through the move after insisting Parkhead is the only place he’ll leave the south coast for.The Seagulls have been forced to back down from their initial demand for a £2million loan fee, with Celtic now expected to pay half that while picking up around 50 per cent of his £45,000-a-week wage."
Shane Duffy has already proven that he can get it done at Premier League level. So the Scottish Premiership should be a cruise. Celtic should actually be kicking themselves that they did not get this deal over the line earlier as they most probably would have still been in the Champions League qualifiers.