KASPER DOLBERG CELTIC CONFUSION: HERE'S WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 1 minute ago
- 3 min read
There’s been a barrage of reports, each one seemingly taking a different angle and telling a different story, regarding The Kasper Dolberg Celtic Transfer Saga.
Depending on who you believe, or what sites you follow, it’s either almost a done deal, or we are in a desperate race against time to get the Danish striker signed up before Monday night.
So, who is telling the truth? Does anybody actually know what’s going on? Let’s have a closer look.
Kasper Dolberg Celtic Move is Still Happening, But Not Yet a Done Deal
I always say that the key to knowing the level of truth or accuracy in story is to trace the source.
The problem in this case is that we have two reliable sources, with decent track records saying conflicting things.
In Denmark, we have the Danish publication Bold.dk claims that “only a few final details remain to be cleared up.
“Anderlecht have accepted the £8 million offer from Celtic, which they had to given their financial predicament, exacerbated by getting knocked out of Europe.”
Sounds pretty much like a done deal to me. But wait, then we have Stephen McGowan of The Herald. Definitely one of Scotland’s few remaining mainstream media employees who still follows actual journalistic standards in his information gathering.
McGowan says: “Anderlecht have told Celtic to increase their offer for Danish international Kasper Dolberg.
“The Parkhead side are prepared to pay a sum in the region of £8million to land the 27-year-old as a replacement for Swansea target Adam Idah. After initial talks, Celtic have yet to match Anderlecht’s asking price or the player’s personal terms.”
So, who is telling the truth here?
Actually, it’s possible that both accounts are accurate based on the information available to them.
Again, it all goes back to the sources.
Now, I don’t doubt Stephen McGowan’s integrity at all. Quite the opposite in fact. As I said, he’s one of the few mainstream journalists covering Scottish football that I still consider a trustworthy source.
However, I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that he isn’t fluent in Danish. I’ll also assume that, as a journalist based in Scotland, he will not have the same network of contacts or access to up-to-date information concerning Danish footballers that Denmark’s largest football news site will have.
The information he has will, most likely, have come from a 2nd or 3rd hand source. That’s not McGowan’s fault, that’s just the nature of reporting on distant events, concerning people you don’t have an ongoing dialogue with.
Bold.dk on the other hand, may well have a direct line to the player himself, or at the very least his agent.
Their story, probably, comes from more up to date sources, and people closer connected to the situation.
So, on the balance of probability, I think the Danish side of the story may be more likely as it currently stands.
The next 12 hours or so should reveal a clear answer one way or the other.
If the Bold.dk story is inaccurate, we can expect a clarification via either a statement from Dolberg’s representatives or perhaps Anderlecht themselves.
If, as I believe, McGowan’s story is based on information from a day or two ago, then likewise, I’m sure he’ll provide an update later today, once the same information that informed The Danish publication’s story filters through to him.
The only true primary source we have on this at the moment is Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. At yesterday’s press conference, he said of Dolberg: “Not yet.”
However, when asked if Adam Idah was going to move to Swansea before Monday night, he added: “ideally, yeah”.
So, I think Brendan Rodgers tacit admission that he expects “a striker” to come in, allowing Idah to leave, lends more weight to the Danish account of current events around Dolberg.
However, until the contract is signed, we can’t be 100% sure.
Either way, we’ll know who is right very soon.