"Celtic assistant manager John Collins says the club will not be signing Scotland internationals Steven Fletcher and Ikechi Anya. Collins admitted the Parkhead side can not compete with the wages on offer in the English Premier League. He does, though, remain confident defender Virgil van Dijk will still be a Celtic player next season despite interest from south of the border. "They'll be on Premiership wages," said Collins of Fletcher and Anya. "They're two good football players who I admire but they're both Premiership players. "For top players the money that's in England, France, Spain and Germany, we can't compete with these teams when it comes to buying players so we've got to take our time and try and get the ones that no-one else has spotted." Full BBC article is at : http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33205755
Van Dyke is likely to stay with the celts until the CL qualifiers are over & that'll be it. He's told them he wants to go.
So if they can't compete with wages for Fletcher how the hell do they think they can keep hold of van dijk dangle a premier league wage packet at him how come they can't pay the wages they win the league every year that guarantees a stab at the champions league
Because they play in a **** league that's on a par with league 1 in England. Since Rangers got dumped they have no competition whatsoever which means they will stagnate. The tv money the SPL teams get is minuscule compared to England. Celtic will have to play the CL qualifiers because it's a **** league. They never get past them so therefore gain very little money from it. That's why they can't pay the wages.
Our bottom club will turn over more than Celtic this season unless Celtic get a Champions League run. Nobody gives a **** about Scottish football outside of Glasgow on the tele, I'd be surprised if an Inverness vs Dunfermline game got more than 250 viewers in England. I'd rather watch women's football than the Scottish leagues.
I think he will leave this Summer, where he goes is another question. Having a Dutch manager will help
Firstly - the Premiership is not an English thing - it no longer exists in England! Secondly - if Van Dyck wants to go then Collins won't exactly be stopping him Thirdly - Fletcher may have a love for something other than money - he is Scottish and he might want to go home (I know!!) Fourthly - who gives a flying **** what he thinks - as @Typical_Juan says - Scottish football is ****e!
The only thing Scottish about Fletcher is his Mother. He was born in Shrewsbury and has Scouse father. Moved to Scotland as a kid after his dad died. Before that he moved around army bases. The Money is in the Prem, so even if he wanted to go back to Scotland it won't be until his meal ticket at Sunderland runs out. I think we'll struggle to get rid of him. It's contract season too so I expect him to improve to the point we offer him a contract
If Celtic aren't going to offer Fletcher a contract that he'll accept I can see us being lumbered with the useless pile of **** for another year while he sits on the bench and treatment table earning a fortune. As for this Van Dijk lad, if he wants to leave I can't see Celtic turning down decent offers for him, if we had an advantage of getting in there first it's well and truly gone now, I can see us losing out to someone like Southampton who I think were linked to him.
