Celtic ready to break transfer record as Martin O'Neill confirms timeline for 'exciting' incoming star
Hoops boss spoke after their 2-2 draw with AC Milan at Celtic Park
As one door closes, another one opens for Martin O’Neill and Celtic, who have agreed a record £11m transfer fee for Bodo Glimt striker Kasper Hogh only hours after talisman Daizen Maeda left for Ipswich Town.
Following Celtic’s stalemate in the friendly against Milan, the manager confirmed Hogh will undergo his medical ‘in the next 24 hour’. The Hoops have been interested in the 25-year old since January, but Maeda’s £10m move to the Premier League appears to have given them more of an incentive. The Danish marksman bagged five Champions League goals last season for Europe’s serial over-achievers.
Another man who scored five goals in Europe’s elite competition last season is Celtic’s solitary signing Camilo Duran. The Colombian striker scored the opener against AC Milan - taking his tally to three in three games. He also set up James Forrest’s second for the hosts, before a sloppy five minutes in the second half allowed I Rossoneri back into the game. Francesco Camarda bagged a brace to ensure the shares were spoiled.
O’Neill on ‘exciting’ Hogh negotiations and medical timeline
Maeda’s generational run of nine goals in Celtic’s last seven matches last season is what got them over the line in their pursuit of the domestic double. The club are now attempting not just to replace the attacking output of the forward, but also his energy. O’Neill claims Hogh is the right ‘calibre’ of player to fill the Maeda-shaped hole. He also confirmed his medical will take place ‘within 24 hours.’
Speaking after the match, he said: “Without going too deeply into it, that's the calibre of player that we'd be looking for, who has scored goals in the Champions League. I'm hoping that players coming into the football club who are of some sort of substance, I think that would be the exciting thing for fans. I'm hoping that's the case.
“Last season, I don't know where we found our way, but we did. For most of the time that I was here, we struggled to score goals. We did get goals, but when you don't have a recognised striker in the team (it’s hard), Maeda had come up brilliantly for us in the last six or seven weeks of the season, but we didn't have that. So that would be a big plus for us if we can do that.”
What was O’Neill’s verdict on the Milan stalemate?
Other than their five minute purple patch, AC Milan struggled to create any clear cut opportunities in the game as Celtic dominated large portions of the first half. Even towards the end of the game if anyone was going to nick a winner it would’ve been the hosts. In the last pre-season friendly before their season gets underway at the same venue against Dundee on August 1, O’Neill was relatively pleased with his team’s display.
He continued: "In terms of a pre-season game, I really enjoyed it. I thought we did some really good things in the game. Just a little spell after half-time where we lost a bit of concentration. But overall, yes, it was a great workout for us. You know, it was a pre-season game at the end.”
The Hoops boss also singled out goalscorer Duran, as he added: "I think he's a really good player. I think that if he stays clear of injury, he'll be a big asset to us. He wants to do well, really good attitude, he can close people down. I'm not saying he's reached Maeda standard yet, but he's doing fine. And he can get hold of the ball.”