‘Horrendous’ wages of Celtic loan stars have been revealed

The loan wages of three Celtic players have been revealed and described as ‘horrendous’. Value for money is certainly questionable, horrendous may be very debatable.

How much do top players cost these days? A lot. Usually more than Celtic’s budget or willingness to pay. But when it comes to loans, deals can be struck, contributions from the lending club come into play and any commitment is usually for a short-term deal rather than a 3 or 4 year contract.

Speaking on A Celtic State Of Mind Podcast and as cited by This is Futbol, Paul John Dykes revealed the loan wages of three players. The article quotes him talking about Mohammed Elyounoussi, Shane Duffy and Diego Laxalt in particular and his information on how much the club are paying them:

"“The information I have got is that the wages that were released are pretty accurate. £60,000 a week on three loanees, who really aren’t playing every week and they’re certainly not pivotal to the squad, is a horrendous amount of money to be shelling out for somebody else’s players, when they are not contributing to a successful Celtic side.”"

Between three players, two are from the English Premier League and the other one is an Uruguayan international from AC Milan. So, is £60,000 really that horrendous? The first impression at the time of striking those deals would have very probably been that we had done a cracking job. It is Scottish Football and wages are typically lower but bearing in mind the background of the players, ‘horrendous’ may be a harsh description.

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Celtic’s deals were not value for money, but only in hindsight

Now there will always be a subjective view of value for money based on form shown in games, and that’s where there may indeed be a different perspective. Elyounoussi as top scorer has shown glimpses of his potential and value, but disappears at times.

Laxalt has also shown some skill and determination, but the fact Greg Taylor may have edged ahead in selection for the first-team suggests the Uruguayan still has a lot of room to improve. Then there’s Duffy and we have to admit that we made a massive mistake on that one.

Fans may quibble about these wages, they may agree to differ on value. There may also be varying views on how much they are contributing, perhaps in some instances it’s more than the peripheral role that Dykes suggests. If, at the time any of these deals were being struck and there was seen to be a hesitation on the part of the Celtic board about wages at this level, surely fans would be up in arms and protesting to get the board to seal the deal.

Hindsight from a despairing season and erratic form may suggest otherwise. But if Celtic are to make progress, to improve the squad, deals of this nature and wages of these levels are inevitable, not horrendous.