The Portland Timbers star appeared certain to join Celtic – only for a deal to fall through.
A lot of happened since Celtic’s prolonged pursuit of Portland Timers midfielder Darlington Nagbe came to an end.
Although the US international appears to have refused to rule out a move to Glasgow at some point in the future, this seems to be somewhat moot now.
The Daily Recordme confirmed prior to the opening of the transfer window that The Hoops had missed out on a player they had been tracking for some time, after failing to agree a fee with the MLS club.
However, its testament to the performances of the midfielders already at Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers’ disposal – plus the club’s astute approach to the transfer market – that the energetic presence of Nagbe is no longer needed to spruce up the midfield.
The formidable midfield partnership of Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong that has dominated domestically shows signs of translating onto the European stage as well, while The Glasgow Evening Times reports that Nir Bitton hopes to stay around for the long haul despite links with Fulham. And that’s without mentioning the technically gifted Australian international Tom Rogic, and the improving Callum McGregor.
The £2.8 million signing of 19-year-old Ivorian Kouassi Eboue, however, appears to have delivered the fatal blow to any potential deal to bring Nagbe to Celtic Park.
An energetic, powerful midfielder, the former FC Krasnodar starlet offers the same natural, physical attributes as his US-based counterpart but, crucially, for a much cheaper price.
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