Griffiths says it pays for Celtic to shop local
WHEN Celtic invested in a proven Premier League manager last summer, it might logically have followed that the club would embark on a lavish spending spree. Brendan Rodgers has surprised many by proving a model of restraint in the transfer market.
Aside from the £3.5million spent to secure the release of Scott Sinclair from Aston Villa, the Celtic manager has kept his business thrifty. Moussa Dembele may have commanded a hefty wage but his capture required only a nominal development fee to Fulham.
The policy has suited Rodgers just fine. Stung by an episode in which he found himself at the mercy of a transfer committee at Liverpool, he embraced the opportunity to focus on player development at Parkhead.
When the Northern Irishman spoke of his desire to look first to the Scottish market for players, it wasn’t lip service, as the purchase of Jonny Hayes from Aberdeen proved.
As far as striker Leigh Griffiths is concerned, it seems entirely logical for Celtic to shop local.
Celtic’s Invincible season was led by captain Scott Brown, a man who moved to Parkhead from Hibernian a decade ago. The star of the second half of the season was midfielder Stuart Armstrong, also sourced locally from Dundee United.
And then there is Griffiths himself, who may have been bought from Wolves but had previously played his best football on loan from the Midlands outfit at Hibs.
‘Celtic are renowned for going in and spending big money on players but you can find hidden gems in the Scottish game,’ said Griffiths. ‘Stuart is a prime example. We got him for around £1m but God knows what his valuation is now.
‘At the start of last season, he wasn’t in some of the 19-man squads but he went away, worked hard on the training ground and is now reaping the reward.
‘He will crack on this season and get even better and it is something that people have to look at — we can sign players from Scottish clubs and they can make a name for themselves here.
‘Scott Brown has been here for ten years now and has done it all. He is the prime example that you can go from one Scottish club to another and keep going.’
Hayes may not fit into the Celtic transfer model of ‘buy young, sell high’ but he does comes with a certain guarantee. A proven Premiership practitioner, he should require little time to settle into his new environment and arrives at his new club at the peak of his powers.
The only non-Celtic nominee on the shortlist for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award last term, the 29-year-old ended the season in top form and scored the opening goal in the Scottish Cup Final, a match only won by Celtic in stoppage-time courtesy of a Tom Rogic winner.
Although Aberdeen have struggled to get the better of Celtic in recent seasons, Hayes has been a persistent thorn in the side of the champions and looks well placed to contribute immediately as the club enters the Champions League qualifiers.
‘I am pleased to see Jonny sign,’ said Griffiths. ‘He’s been Aberdeen’s best player for a couple of seasons and will be a great addition.
‘He will bring competition on the wings, both left and right. He’s scored a couple of worldies against us and if he’s got more of those to come, they will be very welcome. It’s nice we’re on the same team now.
‘Like a few of us, he has not had much time off this summer as he’s been away with Ireland, so he should be ready to go.’
For Rodgers, the purchase of Hayes was the chance to rekindle a relationship that began when, in his role as academy head, he enticed the player to Reading. The pair only worked together for a short time as Rodgers was soon on his way to a new job with Chelsea.
He never forgot Hayes and, when the Dubliner kick-started his career in the Highlands, Rodgers continued to monitor.
‘I actually thought about taking Jonny to Swansea when he was at Inverness,’ revealed the manager. ‘I had (wingers) Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer but I was looking for one more. I then moved to Liverpool and he wasn’t on my radar but he had got his career back on track.
‘He then went to Aberdeen and really kicked on again. By a country mile, he was the most dangerous player we came across.
‘He is 29, very fit and very strong. I know him well and the opportunity to bring someone in like that, who I know is coachable, I’m delighted we could get him in.
‘He is adaptable and can play in five different positions but he is also one who will get the supporters out of their seats. He is different to young Pat (Roberts), who was a dribbler. He is about pace, power and he faces defenders up.
‘The supporters are going to take to him.’
Hayes may possess the ability to slot into midfield or even at left-back
but he is unlikely to rival Griffiths for a starting jersey in attack.
Fresh from the heroics that saw him strike two stunning free-kicks past England goalkeeper Joe Hart at Hampden earlier this month, Griffiths heads to Austria for pre-season tomorrow knowing he will have to prove himself at club level all over again.
Dembele’s return to fitness will place the two back into a duel to claim the lone striking role. Each enjoyed purple patches last term, just as injuries kept both on the sidelines for spells.
Griffiths struck 40 goals in the season before Dembele’s arrival but knew he had to raise his game when the Frenchman arrived. Having missed the club’s Champions League group stage campaign last term, he wants a crack at the competition this season.
‘I didn’t get enough game-time in the Champions League last season because I was injured,’ he said. Hopefully, I’ll get a fair crack of the whip this time.
‘From the start of last season until now, my link-up play is night and day. Against England I showed I can do it on the international stage.
‘I’m in the gym a lot, trying to work on my upperbody strength. I’m not the tallest, so I need to be able to hold defenders off.
‘If the manager can work a way to get us both in the team then great. If he can’t and it’s a 50/50 decision between me and Moussa, it’s up to the manager.’
Like any good striker, Griffiths also has a numerical target in mind.
‘It’s been a long time since anyone hit the 100-goal mark at this club and I’m only 15 short,’ he said. ‘John Hartson was the last one to do it, so do that and you will be talked about for a while.’