Sign up here to receive an article like this straight to your inbox every weekday, the day BEFORE it appears on the Celtic Way website!
Giorgos Giakoumakis was supposedly as good as out the famous glass doors at Celtic Park last weekend. Then came an extraordinary twist in the tale - sparked by the Greek striker himself, I hasten to add.
A second-half substitute appearance culminated in the attacker almost conceding a penalty at one end and then scoring a stoppage-time clincher against Kilmarnock in the 2-0 League Cup semi-final win.
There was a joke doing the rounds at Hampden on Saturday that it was a miracle Giakomakis was able to score in the Mount Florida bowl when he was undergoing a medical in Japan to sign for J1 League side Urawa Red Diamonds at the same time.
While the latest reports suggest Urawa's interest is stepping up, one thing we know for sure is Giakoumakis loves scoring goals for Celtic. That much is evident, yet Saturday's strike was his first goal for the club since October 25th and his ninth in this campaign so far.
He is an enduringly popular player among the Hoops faithful too. Let's face it, for his role in last season's title-winning success and penchant for scoring late and important goals alone he has established himself as a fan favourite for some time to come.
He has carved out a fearsome reputation in Scotland as a poacher supreme and a gifted exponent of the one-touch finish. These talents, allied to his up-and-at-'em physical attributes, mean the Celtic supporters have lapped him up since his £2.5million move from Dutch Eredivisie side VVV-Venlo in the summer of 2021.
His 'taps aff' celebration at the national stadium and cryptic Instagram messages that followed on Sunday begged the question: is all not lost on the Giakoumakis transfer front after all?
In a message on social media over the weekend, the 27-year-old said: “Enjoy every moment like it’s your last! On to the final! Thank you for the immense support.”
Read what you want into that, of course, as those words will be pored over at length and they will get the full treatment as to what the Greek is actually alluding to.
I nailed my colours to the mast very early on in this matter when I stated that I felt Giakoumakis would sign a new deal with Celtic. I was almost ready to admit defeat on that front... until the weekend. Now I'm not so sure.
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Giakoumakis could well extend his stay beyond this month, is it?
I've said before nobody values Giakoumakis's contribution more than his manager. Despite being linked with a move away he has given his all for the club when asked, especially in his last two cameo appearances where he smashed the crossbar twice against Kilmarnock in the Premiership match at Celtic Park and then netted the second goal in the last-four tie.
He also continues to enjoy the unwavering support of the fans, who have occasionally been unkind to such players in the past by letting them know their feelings if they hinted at moving on to pastures new.
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou insisted this weekend that no bids (concrete or otherwise) have been tabled for the forward's services; on his playing ability alone he remains totally committed to the cause.
"If anybody bids in concrete then I will certainly not entertain it," the manager joked after the Killie game. "There is nothing. There is going to be speculation between now and the end of the window. Michael (Nicholson) deals with the majority of that and if it gets to me we know it's serious but there is nothing that I need to address."
In fact the Celtic manager appears to be the most relaxed person in the world about all the speculation. Quite the opposite to fearing the loss of some of his players, the Aussie actually revealed that he is focused mainly on adding to the squad.
"We need to strengthen further; we need to keep getting stronger," the 57-year-old said. "None of the three boys we’ve signed [Yuki Kobayashi, Alistair Johnston and Tomoki Iwata] played on Saturday but they’re going to add to us and, hopefully, we’re going to get another one in the door before the end of the window.
"We worked hard at the squad this year. Last year we had a core of players who had delivered but I just felt we needed a stronger squad to be able to tackle what we need to tackle at this club, trying to win three domestic trophies and being in the Champions League.
READ MORE: Reo Hatate's quantum leap through the eyes of a UCL winner
"There’s always the possibility guys might move on for whatever reason. It’s not about me pushing anyone out the door, everyone has decisions to make. If something comes on the table one of them feels strongly about, we’ll discuss it. But right now I’m more about bringing ones in than letting them go.”
Whatever the issue is with Giakoumakis - wages, more game-time or agents simply filling his head with nonsense - it is still my firm belief that it can be resolved with a bit of give and take from all parties concerned.
There are 15 days left in the January transfer window. There may well be plenty of twists and turns in the Giakoumakis transfer saga yet. Celtic will return to Hampden on February 26 to face Rangers as the Glasgow duo contest the right to win the first domestic silverware of the season.
If somehow between now and the end of January an agreement could be thrashed out with the club and Giakoumakis were to remain at Celtic then the League Cup holders would surely feel that solitary act is worth a goal of a start to them when they meet their city rivals in the showpiece.
The striker would also continue to enjoy the immense support of an adoring public and then some. In Giakoumakis's own words: "On to the final."
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. To receive our full, free newsletter including this analysis straight to your email inbox the day BEFORE it appears on the website, click here and tick the box for The Celtic Digest
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel