ON THE MONEY
Lennon doesn’t need Euro cash to sign up stars
NEIL LENNON insists Celtic’s transfer spending is not dependent on securing a £30million Champions League windfall.
The Parkhead club have revived a move for Motherwell’s David Turnbull, as Sportsmail first revealed on July 20.
And while Hearts left-back Aaron Hickey was last night poised to pick a £1.3million move to Bologna over Celtic or Bayern Munich, Republic of Ireland central defender Shane Duffy remains a firm target despite Brighton’s demand for a £2m loan fee.
Tight-lipped on the progress of a move for Turnbull after a deal for the midfielder collapsed on medical grounds last summer, Lennon assured supporters that signings will arrive regardless of the outcome of tonight’s Champions League second qualifying round clash with Ferencvaros at Parkhead.
Asked if Champions League cash was needed to get players in, the Celtic boss said: ‘No, we don’t need to get it.
‘If we get in the Champions League then it puts us in an even stronger position to attract players and have more finances available.
‘But I think, financially, we are in a decent, healthy position at the minute.
‘Maybe from a footballing point of view, the
WHERE Martin O’Neill went as a manager, Neil Lennon usually followed. Against Ferencvaros in Glasgow tonight, a chance finally comes to take the lead.
Lennon’s 54th European game as manager of Celtic comes against the Hungarians and represents a personal landmark. Surpassing O’Neill, the mentor who took him to Glasgow as a £6million midfielder 20 years ago, is a first. It also takes him a little closer to Jock Stein, Jim McLean and Walter Smith — the only men to manage more games in Europe with Scottish clubs.
In two decades of UEFA competition as a Celtic player and manager, Lennon has witnessed highs and lows and he hopes to see a few more yet. A Champions
League second-round qualifier with the champions of Hungary is part of the journey and not the final destination.
‘It’s been wonderful and I’m looking forward to, hopefully, more games this year,’ the 49-year-old reflected.
‘We’ve had some great highs with a few sore ones along the way, too. But it’s a great challenge as a coach to try and get the best out of the players when you come up against some of the best coaches, players and teams.
‘So I, hopefully, have many more ahead of me. But this is one of the most important one because it’s the next one.
‘Going past Martin is nice too because I generally don’t beat him at anything, really. It’s a nice milestone to have talked about.
‘Being alongside him in any capacity, really, is great. But that’s not at the forefront of my mind going into this game. Hopefully, I can celebrate it afterwards with a proper result.’
It’s hard to celebrate alongside friends in an empty stadium. In an era of state-sponsored super clubs, Celtic in Europe is as much about the atmosphere off the pitch these days as it is about triumph on it. In the age of Covid-19, even that has gone.
The SPFL will learn today if Celtic’s home league game with Motherwell on Sunday can be played before 700 or so supporters as a test event for the return of fans to grounds.
For tonight, at least, there will be none at Celtic Park at all. Home advantage, such as it is, is diluted.
For that reason, European nights are very different to those Lennon has overseen in the past and the oddness of that — as much as Ferencvaros — is something he and his team have to overcome.
‘We try and keep it the same as possible, but you don’t hear the noise and you don’t hear the atmosphere, the hustle and bustle you’d normally have surrounding a game of this magnitude or any other game.
‘So it is a little quieter and you have to go through the proper protocols. We’re riding in two different buses with staff and players. Getting a temperature check, you have your own little UEFA passport to show you are negative.
‘You are going into a pre-match warm-up with an empty stadium when, normally, it is building up atmosphere before the game, so they are all very different from what we are used to.’
For all the talk of a return to normality, football’s slightly sad plight is a reminder that the new normal still bears very little resemblance to the old.
‘It’s not normal,’ continued Lennon. ‘We can pretend. People say it is going to be the new normal for however long it is going to be, but it’s not normal what we are going through.
‘It’s easy for people to say you should be able to handle it better, but you just don’t know. You don’t know how individuals are going to react to the lack of atmosphere or support. It’s not what they have been used to.
‘The mentality of the players has been very good since we have been back and we are going to need more of it. From a coaches’ point of view, you do miss the support, the roar. As a player, it can mean so much, especially when you are in big games.’
Celtic drew with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park and relied on a late strike from Albian Ajeti to come out on top at Dundee United on Saturday. Flowing at times, unconvincing at others, their home form is better.
The season started with a 5-1 win over Hamilton while they thrashed KR Reykjavik 6-0 in the first qualifying round. Even so, there is an expectation that tonight’s visitors will prove tougher to beat than either.
‘We know that Ferencvaros are a very good side having negotiated their last tie very comfortably,’ said Lennon.
‘They have a good set-up and structure to their team with good athleticism. So this is a step up for us in comparison to Reykjavik. But it’s a game we’re looking forward to. They’re a stronger team than we’d hope to get at this stage. When you think at this stage last season, we played Nomme Kalju of Estonia and we negotiated that one with no problem, this is tough.
‘They were in the Europa League last year and, in their group, they were undefeated away from home against Espanyol, (CSKA) Moscow and Ludogorets, so they’re definitely a team to be respected.
‘Patience might be key. Ferencvaros are very good on the counter-attack and, at times, are set up very well defensively.
‘While we’ll try to impose our style on them if we can, we have to be mindful of not conceding as well and leaving ourselves too vulnerable on the counter.’
When Celtic and Rangers racked up the coefficient points last term, the Europa League didn’t seem such a bad place to be. Yet, for those at the sharp end, the desire to test themselves against the very best makes the Champions League a more attractive challenge than it is to fans who simply want to see the team win.
‘It’d just be a good achievement to get there,’ added Lennon. ‘I’ve done it twice and I want it for the club and for the players. We have focused really hard and knuckled down Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and are in our own little bubble, so nothing is getting in or out and our concentration levels are very good.’