18 Aug 2017 10:25:17
Woopdidoo Armstrong signs 1 year extension suppose he is tied down a bit more than he was but we will just have to go through the same will he won't he next summer. Will he get in ahead of Broonie and ntcham?

1.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 10:35:34
Was thinkin the same thing bigp! Hardly committing yirself to the club is it! He'll be offski in January or next summer! I would have preferred he was sold to be honest! It's quite clear that he's already thinking about his next move! Ntcham and Broonie all day long for me! So we'll get to next summer and the same discussion will happen, will he stay on or not! Not doubting the boys ability but for me it leaves a bad taste! When they said 2 year deal I thought on top of his current deal which would have took him to 2020!

2.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 10:42:11
Think it's a petrov situation with this one. The club has probably said sign a contract and we won't stand in your way come January when some English club needs saving from relegation.

3.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 10:46:44
Great that he has signed but with it only being a 1 year extension i expect him to be sold next summer. I was hoping it would be a 2 year extension so It's pretty clear he does not see his long term future at Celtic so hopefully he continues to improve this season and we can cash in next summer for a decent amount of cash.

4.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 11:06:58
I'm stunned that Brendan has said ok to this deal to be honest lads! We're basically giving a player who has no intention of staying a big pay rise! It's pretty obvious none of the also rans from the promised land have shown interest so let's just sign a years extension on more money and pray they come in next summer or January! Na not for me I'm afraid! Like I said I'm really shocked Brendan has agreed this deal!

{Ed007's Note - It's nothing to do with Brendan Rodgers, Peter Lawwell makes these decisions and he will take into account Rodgers and Congerton's opinion on the player but ultimately the decision lies with Lawwell.}

5.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 11:15:51
Was thinking the same Armstrong signing on at that length of contract says to me that he wants to leave come January anyway but Celtic will now make more out of any deal.

6.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 11:18:44
They have just bought a couple of mil onto his transfer fee for them that's all what do u think ED?

{Ed007's Note - No because this time next year we'll be in the same boat and he'll only have a year left. We're not going to get top dollar for a player with a year left on his contract.}

7.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 11:18:45
Is it seriously only a 12 month extension sa has signed? Said on sky it was 2 yrs can't believe it's only a yr if so get him punted boys obviously not been interested from the off then punted in Jan for top dollar thought he was a smart guy aswell hh.

{Ed007's Note - It's a new 2 year deal which replaces the year he had left.}

8.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 11:18:26
Well I'm even more stunned that lawell has agreed to part with more money to a player who clearly would be off at the first offer! What's your take on it then ED?

{Ed007's Note - It's obvious Rodgers wants him to stay and Lawwell has made that happen even if it is only in the short term.}

9.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 11:27:33
For me we have a player who on form can be a big player for us but we now know his long term future lies elsewhere so we have made the right decision we can sell mid season or in the summer and get considerably more cash, more so than rushing into a quick sale next week or letting him walk away for free. The Club have done the best they can out of this situation.

{Ed007's Note - Why will we get considerably more cash for him? For a start I don't think he'll play as many games this season with Ntcham here so I don't see us getting more money for a squad player with a year left on his deal than we would for someone who has just had the best season of his career with a year left.}

10.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 11:29:31
I think he's getting punted very shortly.

11.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 11:37:53
Ed do you think Celtic would entertain any bids from the Clubs who were interested in him. With as you say us being in exactly the same position next summer i think i'd accept a £10m bid right now.

{Ed007's Note - Nah, clubs will see him signing the new deal as him being happy enough where he is for now. The Club's not going to spend so much time and effort on getting him to pen a new deal only to tell the player he's getting sold in the next 2 weeks, unless it was a crazy offer to us and the player.}

12.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 11:40:27
A fair point is he going to get game time, possibly not. Ntcham starts every game for me on current form. I'm now swaying to us selling him this window if we can.

13.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 12:11:53
Could Armstrong play the rogic roll? Great at drifting into the box and getting onto passes has great shooting ability and a better engine than rogic maybe a midfield five of Broonie Ntcham sinclair Armstrong and a n other? Great options we now have its a good time to be a Tim Hail Hail.

14.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 12:12:48
Sa is a very good player when on song but not anywhere near irreplaceable he wont play every game this season.

15.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 12:48:26
I think we might punt him in January, would make sense with it being a shorter deal. Keep him for our run in the CL and let a PL team spend the cash when it's a difficult time to sign the right players and there a*se falls out.

16.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 13:09:01
Why is anyone bothered about Armstrongs new deal? Obviously BR has said he wants to keep him. We don't know if there was an offer in for him or not? He will go next season as several others may go as well. If BR want him and the only way was a 2 year deal then happy days. Its up to BR. What do we lot know how or why BR thinks he can add value. With Ntcham i don't see he is that important and we have other good players like mcgregor and rogic who will score goals so i am not that worried if he stays or goes.

{Ed007's Note - I'm not including myself in this but Armstrong will probably find that there's been a bit of a shift in attitude towards him from quite a lot of fans. For me Armstrong has been given some bad advice over the past few months, someone's needing to tell him to look at that side of things.}

17.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 13:21:49
I said when Ntcham came in I could see him taking Armstrong's slot so to be honest I would have been OK with him being sold this window. He still has a lot to offer us though and is a great option to have even if it's just for six months.

{Ed007's Note - I'll be amazed if Armstrong leaves in January, JT. He could have and probably would have just held off and signed a big money pre-contract with someone if that was the plan.}

18.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 13:33:49
I thought that would be the optimimum time for a sale Ed. Am I getting the numbers wrong with his contract? This time next year will he not be in the last year of his contract? Pretty much where he would be if he hadn't of signed a new deal now?

{Ed007's Note - Armstrong's deal ran until 2018 so if he hadn't signed this new deal he would have been out of contract next summer and able to sign a pre-contract in January 2018. That deal has been binned and he's signed this new deal that runs to 2019 so next summer he'll have a year left and we're back where we have been for the last few months. I expect Armstrong will move next summer.}

19.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 13:46:19
Who knows Gents maybe it's possible in 12-18 months time SA might feel settled and happy to extend further. We can all find flaws in it only being a year extension but plenty can happen in a year. Players come and go and we move on regardless, I'm still buzzing at Ntchams performances we have signed a gem.

Hopefully another 2 or 3 in and either sell or loan any players not required for the season ahead.

20.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 14:01:32
Happily take your word on that one Ed if that's the way you see it, you know more about the way all this works than me. We've got you on your toes today big man, keep it up 👍.

{Ed007's Note - Cheers mate.}

21.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 14:27:48
I have backed SA to the hilt on here but this makes no sense to me. We can blame his advisors all we want, but if he is as intelligent as we are told, then surely he knows the management and fans are going to look at this as a complete lack of commitment. I am actually more pissed off at the extension than I would have been had he been sold.

Perhaps the Club is hoping that he will have a change of heart (and management) over the course of this deal so they can renegotiate down the line? Even so, why take that chance? If we have to go through this 'will he - won't he' nonsense in another year it just becomes tiresome. As others have said, I don't expect we will get the best from him now as he will not be first choice every week. Strange decision.

I wouldn't be surprised if he was sold before the end of the window to be honest.

22.) 18 Aug 2017
18 Aug 2017 15:37:06
ABHFJB, it's no secret he doesn't want to spend his whole career with us.

I also find it strange that we'll be in the same situation this time next year.

The plus side I suppose is that he'll not be signing any pre-contracts this year. I do not want to lose him for nowt.

What SA has in mind, and what the club has in mind may very well be different. At least now also, we have an extra year now to weigh up options, source a replacement etc as it's pretty evident he won't be staying beyond this deal to me. The onus should be on Celtic using this deal to our advantage.

23.) 20 Aug 2017
20 Aug 2017 21:36:57
JT I suppose we all have a tendency to judge players against are own feelings for the Club, and let of steam when someone 'dares' to leave. In this case though I am pretty annoyed, mainly because I rate him so highly.

I get the lad sees it solely as a job and has no great love for football, never mind affinity for our Club. I honestly have no problem with him trying to maximise his earnings, as we all do that. I just feel he has come across badly here in the way this has played out.