Who is Jan Durica? Naylor to Pompey?

By: JT | January 24th, 2008

Celtic have failed in their bid to bring Slovakian left-back/central defender Jan Durica of FC Saturn Moscow Oblast to Parkhead. The Bhoys are reported to have offered the substantial sum of £3m for Durica, but the Russian side feels that amount does not meet their valuation of the player, who is a regular on the Slovak national team. It is not expected that Celtic will be making a second approach, unless…

Lee Naylor’s proposed move to Portsmouth actually materializes. This turn of events is quite surprising in my opinion, and for a number of reasons, is unlikely to take place. Naylor is only a few weeks away from taking on Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16. Can there be a bigger carrot in world football than a make-or-break trip to the Camp Nou? I think not.

In a sporting sense, there is no way that Celtic can make the move either. Naylor is consistent, if not flashy, and the club currently have no real cover for him. I think we all remember what Messi did to Asier del Horno in the CL a few years back, underlining how important it will be to have a competent professional in that role come the end of February.

The papers say that Harry is willing to pay £1.5m for Naylor’s services, but Celtic want £3m. Ah, now Lawwell & Co. are playing the game right. If you want to take Celtic’s players to the English Premiership, you must pay for them. Remember, Naylor was bought for £600k and a youth player only 18 months ago. That’s a tidy profit for the club, but it would leave them in a hell of a hole at left back for the remainder of the campaign. Unless…

The trial of Polish international left-back Seweryn Gancarczyk has gone well enough for him to earn a move to Parkhead. He’s been hampered by fitness concerns and a bug, having only returned to training with Ukrainian side Metalist Kharkiv ten days ago after the league’s six week winter hiatus. Obviously his fitness level will not be on par with the rest of the squad’s, and judgment day should come very soon for the 26 year-old. The price tag would be in the neighborhood of £750k.

Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe is planning on returning in March from his Achilles surgery, just in time for the title run-in. The Cameroon international right-back is making great progress, and as someone who has had the same surgery, I’m thoroughly impressed by his timetable for return, and know the kind of effort it requires. With the way that Celtic’s right-backs have been getting injured this year, his return, whenever it occurs, will be hugely welcome.

I haven’t read all that many interviews with Celtic’s Japanese genius Shunsuke Nakamura, but he seems to be getting his fair share of press since his return from injury. In this conversation with The Daily Record, he waxes nostalgic about watching Barcelona as a kid, looking ahead in the Champions League, his colleague Aiden McGeady, and the hard road back from injury. Good stuff.

I’ll be back on Saturday with the latest rumors, and a preview of the Bhoys’ Sunday trip to Falkirk. Until that time, I urge you to remember the wisdom imparted upon me at a young age, “Beer then liquor, never sicker…”