Mjallby’s Nou bad feelings
Scotland these days. It’s the opposite – players in Scotland are trying to get to the Championship then to the Premier League.
“Shane has gone the other way because he wants to play for Celtic. He’ll be above the level of player up in Scotland.
“That’s the beauty of getting a player who happens to support the club.
“I didn’t think the deal would go through. I thought he’d go to a club like West Ham or West Brom in the Premier League, somewhere like that, but he had his heart set on playing there.”
Duffy has been a mainstay of Brighton’s side for several seasons and formed a formidable partnership with skipper Lewis Dunk, particularly under former boss Chris Hughton.
Current Seagulls gaffer Graham Potter would happily have kept him this term but with fierce competition for places, Duffy wanted regular game time.
Reid admires him for taking the plunge and joining Celtic and says the player’s heart led him to Glasgow.
He said: “Shane wants to play every week but we have an embarrassment of riches at centre-back.
“Lewis is our captain, we’ve just signed Joel Veltman from Ajax and we’ve turned down huge bids for Ben White who did brilliantly at Leeds last season and is now back with us.
“Duffy had opportunities to stay in the Premier League but he wanted to play for Celtic. He made that decision – it’s his boyhood team.
“He’s got a massive point to prove going up there.
“He’s still got three years on his contract at Brighton.
“He would have been in our squad this season and we’d have been happy to keep him.
“He’s fantastic about the place, he’s got a real winning mentality.
“Even when he wasn’t playing, his attitude around the lads was absolutely fantastic.
“That’s just the type of person he is. I can’t speak highly enough of him.
“But he’s at an age where he wants to play every week.
“He asked me what it was like in Glasgow and I’ll be interested to see how well he does up there. The fact he’s a dyed-in-the-wool fan is an added bonus for Celtic.”
With Kris Ajer and Christopher Jullien (left) already in the building, Lennon now has strong central defensive options at Parkhead.
Duffy’s arrival gives him far more scope for switching to a back three, allowing him to play two strikers – a system that worked so well for the Hoops in last season’s title run-in.
Reid says that won’t be a problem for Celtic’s new boy and believes Duffy can make the kind of impact his ex-Brighton pal Connor Goldson has made at Rangers.
He said: “I’ve been asked about Duffy on the ball – can he play in a back three for instance?
“Yes, he can play in the centre of a back three or on the right, no problem. “Goldson is one of the best players at Rangers and an excellent defender but he didn’t always play at Brighton.
“Shane has been a regular at Brighton for three years – so Celtic are getting a real top player.”
Henrik Larsson might have been languishing in the fourth tier of English football at Southend.
Instead, he’s settling into his new desk at the Nou Camp after his return to Barcelona.
His fellow Swede Johan Mjallby reckons that just sums up the crazy world of football.
The former Celtic heroes were due to team up as the dream team in charge of the Shrimpers – but the deal last year fell through at the very last minute.
It’s doubtful Larsson will have regrets after being appointed assistant to Ronald Koeman at Barca last month.
But Mjallby could be forgiven for cursing his luck as he still hunts for a way back to UK football.
The Swede laughed: