One of this year’s biggest transfer deadline day sagas was that of Celtic’s hunt for a new striker. The Scottish Premiership champions were on the lookout for a number nine to replace Adam Idah, who completed a move to Swansea.
Brendan Rodgers’ side had already brought in 25-year-old Shin Yamada and 20-year-old Callum Osmand, but they still wanted one more proven striker.
Their search took them from the likes of Anderlecht’s Kasper Dolberg, who preferred Ajax, to Chelsea’s David Fofana, who preferred Charlton Athletic, and then finally Kelechi Iheanacho, who they are still looking to sign now that he is a free agent.
While the saga as a whole drew criticism from members of the media and fans alike, it was the failed approach of Chelsea’s Fofana that drew the most criticism from former Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist.
McCoist staggered by Fofana decision
While on TalkSport with Jeff Stelling, the pair discussed Celtic and other Scottish clubs’ difficult transfer windows.
Stelling said: “Look at Celtic, I mean, they haven’t brought any strikers in. They tried. But David Fofana, who’s at Chelsea, he chose to go Charlton on loan rather than go to Celtic.”
He then proceeded to ask McCoist: “Is this all about the perception of Scottish football? Or is it more to do about the amounts players are being paid?”
McCoist replied: “It’s got to be an element of both, right? However, you are not going to sit there and tell me that Charlton Athletic are paying more money in wages than Celtic? That just cannot be happening, right? And that would stagger me. That would absolutely stagger me.”
On the other side of Glasgow, Rangers have also had something of a difficult window as fans have shown frustration about the club selling more than they’ve spent amidst their horrendous start to the season.
Why Fofana wanted Charlton over Celtic
Celtic does offer, on average, higher wages than Charlton. Charlton’s highest-paid player, Allan Campbell, would be Celtic’s joint-fifth-highest-paid player, but the drop-off in wages becomes apparent further down the list as Charlton’s third-highest-paid player, Conor Coventry, would be Celtic’s 18th-highest-paid player.
However, the attempted move to Charlton by Fofana would only have been a loan move, so he would still have been on the £30,000 per week that Chelsea pays him, with Charlton only covering a percentage.
Another factor that may have come into consideration for Fofana is that he likely wouldn’t have to move house if he ended up playing for Charlton, as both clubs are based in London. This quality of life factor likely only applied to Fofana, however, and not their other failed pursuits.
The perception of Scottish football may have been a bigger factor in Fofana’s decision, as the Championship is ranked 7th and the Scottish Premiership is ranked 27th in the Global Football Rankings.