Transfer hunt: the Swiss striker dividing fans
Celtic are pushing for FC Aarau striker Elias Filet, with a video conference between the club and his agent already in the books. The 23-year-old topped the Swiss second-tier scoring charts this season. KRC Genk and FC Lorient are also circling (1).
Not everyone is sold. Supporters have branded the move a gamble, pointing to the gulf between the Swiss Challenge League and Celtic's demands. The name Kasper Hogh has been thrown around as the kind of profile fans expected instead (6).
£40m in the kitty?
Frank McAvennie reckons Martin O'Neill could have as much as £40 million to spend this summer. Fan frustration over a perceived lack of investment has simmered for months. Names like Milan Vitalis, Elijah Just, Jari De Busser, and Arne Engels remain on the radar (5).
Get the next Celtic brief by email
This article went out to subscribers as a brief. Get the next one straight to your inbox, free.
Free · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime
That is the carrot. The stick is what happens with Benjamin Nygren, who has hinted at a departure, and Reo Hatate, who has told the club he wants out. A chunk of that war chest might come from sales.
Welsh heads to Swansea
Stephen Welsh has made his Celtic exit permanent, joining Swansea City after a loan spell at Motherwell. The academy graduate posted a farewell message and got a warm response from Viljami Sinisalo: "All the very best Welshy" (3).
Your board are already lining up a replacement. Cracovia centre-back Oskar Wojcik is the name being linked, seen as a direct successor alongside Liam Scales and Auston Trusty in the defensive pecking order (3).
Pre-season locked in: Sporting in the Algarve
Celtic will face Sporting CP in a pre-season friendly on 14 July in the Algarve. The Portuguese side confirmed the fixture this week, and the two clubs last met in a similar warm-up match not long ago (2) (4).
Nicholson's SPFL board seat infuriates fans
CEO Michael Nicholson has been voted onto the SPFL board alongside Hibernian's Patrick Stewart, Kilmarnock's Phyllis Carroll, and independent director Malcolm McPherson. The reaction was instant and brutal.
One supporter summed up the mood: "If this is true then this utterly useless, inept, incompetent wage-thief isn't going anywhere. Ergo, our club isn't going anywhere. Nothing has been learned. Zero accountability" (7).
Fans have been demanding more communication and clarity from the board for months. This appointment lands like the opposite of what they wanted.
Fan reactions
The Filet link has split the support down the middle. Some see a rough diamond worth polishing. Most see a Swiss second-division punt that signals another window of shopping in the bargain aisle. The Nicholson news has only poured fuel on that fire, plenty of fans connect the two stories directly: a CEO they do not trust, signing off on a striker they do not rate. Join the debate on Reddit
