Champions League calamity sparks nervous Celtic transfer waiting game after key deal left hinging on progress
Champions League elimination could affect future transfers for the Hoops
Celtic face a nervous waiting game in their transfer pursuit of Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis after their Champions League capitulation.
Italian media suggests that a deal for the 22-year old was dependant on Celtic’s ‘on-field commitments’ ahead of their play-off clash against Austrian champions LASK Linz. But after a monumental collapse saw them lose 5-4 on aggregate in the two-legged tie, a potential move now hangs in the balance. Celtic remain interested in the Lithuanian and are hoping to close the deal before deadline day on September 3.
The Hoops went to Austria with a healthy three-goal advantage, which they added to in the first half through captain Callum McGregor. 4-0 down on aggregate, the hosts looked dead and buried, but responded with five unanswered goals to secure the comeback triumph after extra time. The result means Celtic miss out on Europe’s most prestigious competition for the second year in a row - and the minimum £40m cash influx that comes with it.
Gineitis deal up in the air after Champions League capitulation
Italian transfer journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reported earlier in the week: “Celtic will be involved in a very delicate UEFA Champions League preliminary round . This is a crucial event not only for their sporting ambitions, but also for finalising their budget and transfer strategies.
“Everything is postponed until tomorrow. Once the European commitment is over and their Champions League fate is known, the Glasgow club's management will make their assessments. Only in the next few hours will it be clear whether the interest in Gineitis will turn into a decisive move.”
Gineitis was identified as a potential replacement for midfielder Arne Engels - a player with energy who Celtic sorely missed in the LASK defeat. The Hoops received an EFL Championship record-breaking fee of £22m from West Ham for the Belgian. Serie A side Torino are said to be asking for £8.5m for Gineitis.
What did Martin O’Neill say after the LASK collapse?
After the match manager Martin O’Neill claimed the defeat was on him and that it’s a ‘major’ blow for the club. He said: "I'm responsible for this one. Without a doubt. Naturally it took me a long time to get over the Uefa Cup final in 2003 but this was majorly disappointing.
"The qualification for the Champions League is major, it's major in every aspect. Financially, for prestige, but we have to pick ourselves up. That's my responsibility again to do that. I think I said last week that if you could qualify for the Champions League there would be players wanting to come on that basis. That's not going to be the case but we'll see. Tonight we came up well and truly short, particularly in the second half."
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