I dreamed a dream....Duffy is a Bhoy
Celtic finally get their man as no-nonsense defender Shane Duffy joins on a season long loan deal with an option to buy.
Celtic have announced the signing of Brighton and Ireland international Shane Duffy on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy next summer.
The 28-year-old, who is currently on international duty with Ireland in the Nations League, has played 130 times for Brighton, scoring eight times.
Duffy, who is an integral part of the Republic of Ireland side, has played 33 times and has previously played for Everton and Blackburn Rovers.
Following his move to the Scottish champions, Duffy said: “I really am delighted to sign this deal with Celtic. It is a huge honour for me to join Celtic, such a huge institution and a brilliant football club that I have always loved and admired
“It will be a fantastic personal moment for me when I pull on the Celtic jersey. It’s just a great feeling – I could not be happier to be part of the Club now and I just can’t wait to start working with the Manager, the staff and the players when I return from International duty with Ireland.
“We will be challenging on a lot of fronts this season and I am really excited about getting going, as we try and bring the fans more and more success.”
Celtic manager Neil Lennon, speaking to the official club website, added: “We are delighted to bring a player of Shane’s quality to Celtic. He is an international player with so many great attributes. He is leader and he’s a warrior – someone with real ability and who will also give us that great physical presence.
“I know too he is a player who will add great personality to the dressing room. This is a real coup for the Club. From the off, Shane wanted to come to Celtic and we are delighted we have been able to fend off English Premier League interest.
“We are delighted with Shane’s decision to come and I am delighted with the business which Nick Hammond and the Board have done, not only in bringing Shane to Celtic, but throughout the window.
“We can’t wait to get Shane involved in the squad as we look to the many challenges ahead.”
The man who wanted to be a bhoy
Hours after news of his signing, it has now become apparent that the Derry man only had eyes for a move to Celtic, despite being liked with a number of English Premier league clubs.
He may have dropped out of boss’ Graham Potter’s plans but Duffy was a popular figure at the club and the hierarchy seemingly agreed to make the deal happen to thank the Irishman for his services to the club over the past few years - putting the player’s happiness before their own financial gain.
The end of Ajer?
Duffy’s arrival could ultimately spell the end of Kristoffer Ajer’s Celtic career, with the Norwegian’s agent doing the circuits among clubs on the continent pimping his client out to some big hitters - with the Scottish champions set to reap the rewards financially.
Whether Ajer goes or not, Duffy could very well be the final cog in the central defensive machine if or should I say hopefully when we go to a flat back three. Alongside Jullien, Duffy would be the type of defender we need at the back to clear the danger, nothing fancy. And if Ajer does go then El Hamed can slot perfectly into the back three - rather than the right back position which should be earmarked for young Frimpong.
Ferencvaros fallout
Despite Duffy being on the list of players Celtic were targeting this summer, his signing was only hastened by the club’s shock exit to Hungarian champions Ferencvaros - this begs the question once again over the speed of the club’s transfer dealings and Peter Lawwell’s lack of urgency until damage limitation is needed.
We could argue that Duffy signing for Celtic earlier could have prevented our exit from the Champions League, but there is no guarantee that would have happened. The lack of Duffy at the back wasn’t the only deciding factor in our exit as I spoke about previously, but now that he is here - he should help to shore up the defence for the Europa League campaign.
Here for 10-in-a-row
Duffy becomes Celtic’s fifth summer signing and once he returns from international duty, it is expected that he will play some part in Celtic’s league game against Ross County a week on Saturday - as he looks to become an integral part of our ten-in-a-row championship campaign.
Where else would a Celtic fan want to be, when such an historic record is on the cards?
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