Is Fletcher leaving?

CELTIC are lining up an ambitious bid to snatch Steven Fletcher from Sunderland in this month’s transfer window.

Record Sport understands contact has been made between the clubs and that a fee of around £6million will be enough to persuade the Premiership strugglers to part with the Scotland striker, who has not been a regular starter under new boss Gus Poyet.

Fletcher, 26, cost the Black Cats £12m two years ago and is under contract until May 2016 but serious ankle and shoulder injuries troubled him for most of 2013 and it is believed he would relish the chance of a move to Celtic.

Sunderland are prepared to sell him at a knockdown price to the Scottish champions but would be looking for more if a Premier League relegation rival – West Ham are said to be another interested club – made an offer.

Celtic would almost certainly have to smash their wage structure to land the former Hibs, Burnley and Wolves attacker.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/...ws/celtic-line-up-6m-swoop-sunderland-2982604

 

Why would you be "prepared to sell him at a knockdown price"? Who else in your squad would you back to get 10+ goals a season?

I know he's been out of form recently but he's coming back from injury, in all honesty if you sell him and replace him with someone for £5-6m then it becomes a long shot to avoid relegation in my view. I've backed you to stay up and still think you will but i think he's one of 2-3 players you need to form a backbone of the team through performing consistently if you're going to grind out the points.

If you do sell well he's 26 and has generally had good form in the premiership in the last couple of years so why not £10m+

I can't see Short being keen to make a loss on a player then fork out a chunk to replace him.

He's been injured, he's having a bad season but even so your strikers premiership goals:

Jozi 1, Borini 1, Fletcher 3

There's also the issue of having a squad for next season a) if you stay up b) if you go down.

 

Shouldn't be selling our biggest goal threat unless it was a silly offer and gave Poyet the chance to.bring in two players of his choosing that he thinks would make us better.

Fletcher confidence is rock bottom e.g his dreadful decision to panic and hit it with his right against Villa when clean through, it was easier to take a touch onto his left and he had the whole goal to slot it into. But he's a natural goalscorer and will still get goals when there's no thinking time eg Cardiff goal.

 

If we sell him to West Ham then we really are doomed. Sessegnon to West Brom and Fletcher to West Ham tells me "Here you go boys, we'll help you stay up even if it costs us our PL place". You should never sell to a rival when you're in a relegation or top chasing spot. Look at RVP to Man Utd. He won them the league last year and Arsenal struggled without his goals.

If he goes to West Ham then we are down! If he goes to Scotland and opens the door for another striker then fine (although I certainly don;t want him gone) BUT that striker must be able to score goals.

 

If he does go, then I'd expect a minimum price of the £12m we paid and a replacement or two bought first.

If he is unhappy and his attitude and performances would seem to suggest it, then I have no problems cashing in and looking for new faces.

It's not like he is looking prolific this season. However, if he can't be replaced, it would be suicidal to sell and hope Ji, Altidore or Whickham would score the goals to keep us up. There isn't another 4 goals between them in the rest of the season combined IMO.

 

looks like were in for Socooco if so then Fletch could be surplus to requirements due to his wages

 

Given his record of clubs he's at that have been relegated, we might stand a chance if he goes!

 

He is under contract so why would we sell him for 6m now?? it would be madness.

I have always thought in the past that Short has run the clubs finances smartly, we got our money back for Gyan in a round a bout way and made massive profits from the sales of Bent and Henderson.

If we sell Fletcher to get his wages off the wage bill then it is preperation for the Championship.

I would not be happy selling him as IMO he will score the goals to keep us up.

 

I believe we made mistakes by selling Bent and letting Gyan go..if we want to be a good club like Manure with Rooney and the BinDippers with Suarez we have to hang onto Fletcher. If we do sell him at a knock down price, I will seriously consider not renewing my season ticket, cos I cannot go on supporting a team with no ambition or balls, it is just too emotionally costly. If someone offers £25m and we have a couple of £12m strikers lined up okay that I can understand. But this rumour of selling Fletcher cheaply is bonkers...sell Wickham, Johnson, Gardner, Vaughan Catts etc first for heavens sake to make room in the wage bill for couple of quality players.

 

We have been gone since the Palace defeat, we kid ourselves like this every frigging season, now it it is too late the **** has hit the fan, I have never known a season as bad as this, at least the 2002-3 season we never had half wits them days, this club is so bad it is pathetic, we new from last April this was coming, and who is this Alonso we have signed too late !. And I want an explanation from short what his credintials where before he took over this club. We needed someone from Arsenal or Man c to come here to help run this joke of a club.

 

Absolutely right - we're definitely down. I mean 4 points in an insurmountable number to regain after 1 loss in 5 games!! Ellis out - yeah great idea. You are obviously a mag saying this bullshit

 

I have got to say a couple of season ago Arsenal fans were not happy with things are their club and it is only this season that they have finally turned things around. As for Man U they are in crisis at the moment because they did not sign the players they needed in the summer.

We made a mistake appointing MON who spent a lot of money on rubbish.

 

I have got to say a couple of season ago Arsenal fans were not happy with things are their club and it is only this season that they have finally turned things around. As for Man U they are in crisis at the moment because they did not sign the players they needed in the summer.

We made a mistake appointing MON who spent a lot of money on rubbish.

 

If you sell him it can only be due to trimming the wage bill really. For the amount of money being talked about it wouldn't be great business and does seem like preparation for relegation - which could easily still be avoided.

There's not many clubs I could see this transfer working for - top half teams wouldn't really be interested and bottom half are no improvement - but Celtic are a big draw (Scotland, winning silverware and European competition) despite not being any better than Sunderland.

Fletcher has looked dejected recently and may push for this...

 

Thing is if you go down this season you end up with more prize money than we got for finishing 17th last season. Parachute payment is millions from Sky TV.

It's not as bad as when the mags got relegated as there is a lot more money there - BUT - you have to come straight back up or the payments stop (I think - not 100% though)

 

The figures being bandied in the press are £6m sid (which I agree doesn't make sense and is surely a white flag by Short if he sanctions that). So £8m (including wages) may be more reasonable for a team pretty much guaranteed some Champions League action next year.

 

Marcus the payments used to be tapered. So you got something like 100% of the amount for one year, 66% of the amount the next year and 33% the year after. I'm pretty sure you still get something the second season down but it may be a lot less. Either way, you really don't want to find out, the difference between where we are now and where Boro are now is coming back up at the first time of asking. You can only afford to gamble one season then you have to make deep cuts.

 

http://www1.skysports.com/football/...plans-to-sign-steven-fletcher-from-sunderland

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has rebuffed speculation linking the club with Scotland international Steven Fletcher.

Media reports in Scotland claimed Celtic were preparing a bid of £6m for the Sunderland striker this month.

When asked if the Scottish champions were poised to sign the former Hibernian favourite, Lennon said: "It's just speculation and I can't say any more than that.

"He is a player that I think most teams in Britain would like but affordability may be a problem for us."

The Hoops boss refused to be drawn on any potential targets, and insists the club will conduct business privately.

Lennon did indicate he has extra money available should he wish to splash out in the January window.

"I can't say anything about the players we're being linked with," The Irishman added. "There are 31 days of this and the names will keep coming thick and fast.

"But what we do is we will do our business as quietly as we can and when we sign a player we will let you (the press) know.

"What we want to do is sign players for the future - for the second half of the season - and with the qualifiers of the Champions League in mind for next season.

I" want to make the squad better and I want to give some of the players here a hand.

"The squad needs an injection of fresh blood and that's exactly what we're trying to do. It doesn't matter who you sign, if we think it will make us better then that's what we'll look to do.

"We're in a position where we can spend a bit of money and it's a position we probably haven't been in for quite a considerable time, a position as strong as this, and we'll endeavour to bring quality in."

 

If it's £8m I'd say do it, get that £8m spent on Danny Ings and if you do get relegated you've got a perfect striker to use next season. Fletcher both a) Cannot guarantee you goals with his injury record this season and B) Has history of kicking up fuss when his team needed him, look what happened to Wolves when he forced his way out.