The Celtic transfer saga Rodgers must avoid repeating

Gone are the days when clubs had complete power over their players.

In the modern game it seems like players now essentially call the shots when it comes to transfers. One such development is playing out right now, with Celtic target Yang Hyun-jun of Gangwon FC. In what has turned into a very public declaration of intent from the winger, it seems that the player will get what he wants, thanks to applying some pressure via the media.

A representative of the player has made it clear that Yang saw his future abroad. The spokesperson for the winger said: "Yang Hyun-Jun's dream is to play in Europe. It's a dream he's had since he started his career as a player. A golden opportunity has arrived under very good conditions for him and the club. So, he is extremely frustrated the offer has been rejected. It would be good for the player and Korean football for him to go to Europe. Yang believed those words and returned to his club and worked harder than ever. So, he is hurt. The club have gone back on their word.

"Yang is extremely grateful to everyone at Gangwon. They are the club that made him, and he understands their predicament. However, he wants to play in Europe." Yang then further stirred the pot when he spoke of the potential move to Scotland, tellling media in his homeland: "Advancing to Europe is a dream of all players. I am the same. I want to go in the summer, not winter. I hope (the club) sends it as promised."

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Of course - from Celtic’s perspective at least – this is positive. The player they are in talks with to sign has made it public knowledge that he wants to join, meaning pressure has been put on his current club to sell.

Thanks to this, it looks as like a move from Gangwon to Glasgow is imminent, with both clubs hashing out the finer details of the deal. Good news for Celtic, but perhaps a timely reminder to the club of how players now possess more power, especially when it comes to transfer movements.

Celtic, too, have been stung before by this kind of player revolt before, especially recently. There was the time that defender Dedryck Boyata refused to play for Brendan Rodgers and Celtic against AEK Athens because of a failed move to Fulham, though these claims have been disputed by the player himself in subsequent interviews.

Another instance was when Neil Lennon came under fire after players had supposedly made motions to leave the club, with the manager making his grievances public after the team’s 2-1 defeat at home to Ferencvaros.

Lennon said: "There are some players who may want to leave and have made in-roads into that over the past six months or so," he said. "If they don't want to be here then we'll have to do something about it. If they're making waves to leave the club then they're obviously not committed, and I want players who are committed to the club."

In what felt like a true watershed moment for the squad, these comments did little to boost the squad morale, and Celtic would go on to have a disastrous season under Lennon’s watch.

In both examples, the team came out on the losing side. It is evident that squad harmony is vitally important to the success of the football team on the park, whether players want to stay at the club or not.

This is a balancing act that previous manager Ange Postecoglou was particularly skilled at, given how he dealt with wantaway players. Some of the individuals Lennon was rumoured to be talking about in his post-match outburst did not feature heavily or at all during his tenure, with Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie making limited appearances. Kristoffer Ajer, meanwhile, left early on in the window without playing a single minute for the new manager.

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With Rodgers returning, he will have to continue the attitude the Postecoglou adopted with regard to wantaway stars. After all, keeping them around for the sake of individual quality rather than ensuring squad harmony will only have adverse effects further down the road for all concerned.

By trusting the transfer strategy and not holding onto players longer than necessary, Celtic will continue to prosper as a football club both on and off the park. In the case of Yang, it looks as if another talented young player is on his way to the club, where he will compete with fellow summer right-wing recruit Marco Tilio next season if the deal is concluded.

However, the way that Yang has behaved in order to get his move to the club cannot be replicated or repeated at Celtic for the sake of both the player’s prospects and the club’s recruitment policy and asset security.

In the main, the way football players can orchestrate moves through their usage of both mainstream and social media sets a dangerous precedent for clubs in the future. It is up to Celtic to stand firm and act accordingly when these situations do transpire with their players. This will be one of Rodgers’ biggest tests in his second stint as Celtic manager.

This piece is an extract from the latest Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team.

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