JAHMAI SIMPSON-PUSEY: CELTIC SHOULD BUY PLAYERS LIKE HIM, NOT LOAN THEM
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Jul 29
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 11
It’s amazing how quickly one's hopes can be raised and then almost instantly dashed during this transfer window.
When I first read the Manchester City’s Jahmai Simpson-Pusey Celtic story, I was initially really excited. This is guy who has already played for Manchester City’s first team, and in the UEFA Champions League, no less. True, his first team opportunities would be limited in Manchester this season, but that’s no slight on him.
This is the kind of exciting, dynamic player that Celtic should be in for.
Then came the inevitable caveat: it’s a loan move.
If We’re Serious About Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Celtic Must Insist on an Option to Buy
The exact details of the proposed move remain unclear. However, Celtic have got their fingers burnt in recent years with these loan moves. We tried and failed to land both Fraser Forster and Mohamed Elyounoussi on permanent transfers after loan spells, because we didn’t have option to buy clauses in the deals.
More recently we overpaid, probably by a factor of 2, for Adam Idah because again, we didn’t have a purchase clause in the initial loan agreement.
The player’s confidence has also suffered as a result. 20 goals from a striker with limited starts is an excellent return on a player we’ve paid 4-5 million for. But at 9 million, fans expect more. That isn’t Idah’s fault. That’s entirely down to the combination of Celtic’s dithering and Norwich’s greed.
Now, as a young player who has made only 6 first team appearances for Man City so far, Simpson-Pusey currently has a valuation of between 5 and 7 million pounds.
In other words, well within Celtic’s budget. Maybe the player still believes he can make the breakthrough at Man City, so is reluctant to accept a permanent move elsewhere. Maybe he’s worried that going to Scotland might harm his future England international prospects.
These are both legitimate concerns from his point of view.
However, from the perspective of Celtic fans, at least the ones I’ve spoken to, we had hoped that the days of us developing other teams’ players for them were over.
If Simpson-Pusey only wants to come to Scotland for a year to get European experience and toughen up as a player, then, as much as that would be good for him, it doesn’t suit Celtic. All it does is kick our problem regarding the lack of defensive depth down the road for another year.
There are ways around this. Manchester City could ask for a buy-back clause to be inserted into any permanent deal, if Celtic opted to trigger it at the end of the initial loan period.
Or, as they did with Jeremie Frimpong, City could work a large sell-on clause into Simpson-Pusey’s next move after Celtic.
Because the harsh reality is, even if the player is up for joining Celtic on a permanent basis, should he live up to his current potential, we’ll be selling him back to the EPL within 3 or 4 years’ time anyway.
As I said, I like the player, he would be an exciting signing. However, if he does come to Glasgow then it needs to be on terms that work for Celtic, not Man City.
We are nobody’s feeder club. Simpson-Pusey is the kind of young talent we need to recruit to press on in Europe, but not on loan. Permanent deal, or don’t bother as far as I’m concerned.
