Celtic seem to have annoyed one player and his agent this summer. The Bhoys seem to have had that effect on most with what they have and have not done during this window so far.
Fans are at boiling point after a disastrous summer of recruitment that has seen them sign just one player so far. With Daizen Maeda now heading to Ipswich Town, Celtic's squad is actually weaker than it was going into the summer, and that doesn't even account for the likely exits of Arne Engels and Reo Hatate this summer.
Celtic have said it has been hard to convince players to sign, but they have also passed up easy signings, turning down the chance to re-sign two players who wanted to return to the club.
Kelechi Iheanacho made it clear Celtic were his priority only to be given a lowball offer that relied on bonuses, leaving him with little choice but to go elsewhere to get a fair wage.
Elsewhere, Martin O'Neill said he liked the idea of re-signing loan star Marcelo Saracchi, who was available for just £1.5million or thereabouts, but that public fronting led to nothing behind the scenes, with the Hoops never making an approach.
Saracchi's agent hits back
Saracchi's agent Marcelo Tejera confirmed to CeltsAreHere that the reasons behind a deal not taking place this summer were simple. "They don’t want him, full stop,” he said. “Celtic is already in the past for us."
It's tough to gauge how Tejera delivered those statements, but just going off his words, there does seem to be some bitterness between Saracchi and the club, and who could blame him? The Bhoys have given the impression publicly that they want to do a deal while not really bothering to try to do one.
Saracchi was clearly interested in a move and has been let down by the club in not getting one. Any player will tell you that all they need is honesty, and if the Hoops were not interested in a permanent deal based on last season, Saracchi will feel they could have been upfront about it.
And in this case, it's not as if they have other options despite having a need to sign a back-up for Kieran Tierney. In this case, Celtic have decided not to sign Saracchi despite having a need and no other clear plan to sign a better option. That is always going to be tough to take.
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