Some decisions at Celtic are born from unity — others from tension. This club has survived and thrived through both, guided by a history that demands bravery but punishes miscalculation. Every era at Parkhead has been shaped not only by what was done on the pitch, but by the conversations behind closed doors, where belief, pressure, and legacy collide.
Supporters sense when something is not entirely settled. They feel it in the pauses, in the mixed messages, in the growing hum of debate that surrounds a potential signing. Celtic have never been strangers to bold calls, but the most consequential ones are rarely straightforward. They arrive layered with risk, conviction, and disagreement.
That is exactly where the club finds itself now.
Insiders close to the situation have revealed a growing internal divide over Celtic’s reported interest in Union Berlin striker Andrej Ilic. While sections of the Celtic board are pushing strongly for the deal — even at a fee approaching £9 million — it is understood that Union Berlin head coach Bo Svensson’s successor, Bojan Nastyć Nancy, is unconvinced and would not oppose the striker’s departure.
Those familiar with the situation suggest Nancy does not see Ilic as central to his plans, a stance that has quietly fuelled Celtic’s confidence in their pursuit. The push, however, is not coming from the dugout in Germany — it is being driven from boardroom level in Glasgow, where belief in the striker’s long-term profile appears to outweigh immediate concerns.
Former Celtic midfielder Peter Grant has publicly reflected that confidence, insisting Celtic would not hesitate to sanction such a fee if the club believes the upside justifies the risk.
“Would they spend £9 million on a striker if it’s the right one? Yes. I am sure they would. I have absolutely no doubt they would.”
Yet that certainty has been met with growing unease among supporters — and quietly, among football people — for one unavoidable reason.
In the 2025–26 Bundesliga season, Andrej Ilic has played 16 league matches and has yet to score a single goal.
At a time when Celtic are navigating a critical January window, chasing momentum, stability, and control, that statistic has become impossible to ignore. Three assists underline his involvement in build-up play, his ability to link attacks and create space, but the central question refuses to go away.
How do you justify a £9 million striker who has not found the net in 16 league games — when goals are the very currency Celtic are short of?
That question has sharpened the internal debate.
Grant, however, views the situation through a wider lens — one shaped by experience and consequence rather than raw numbers.
“The bottom line is you want to win the league. That’s for sure,” he said.
“If Celtic win the league, you go into qualifiers. Martin knows — he’s been around the block many times. He knows what makes Celtic successful. That has to be a goalscorer.”
But even he acknowledged the unforgiving reality of the January market.
“This is a very, very difficult window unless you are willing to pay big bucks.”
Those words cut both ways.
Ilic’s defenders argue that statistics alone fail to capture his tactical value. At Union Berlin, he has often been used to facilitate rather than finish, asked to occupy defenders, press relentlessly, and create openings for others. His career path — across Serbia, Latvia, Norway, France, and Germany — paints the picture of a striker who adapts, learns, and contributes beyond goals alone.
Critics counter with brutal simplicity: Celtic do not need a project right now. They need certainty.
Recent history only deepens the anxiety. The last major outlay on a striker ended abruptly, leaving scars that have not fully healed. That experience has made supporters wary — not of ambition, but of repeating mistakes at moments when precision matters most.
What is now clear is that this potential deal is not universally embraced. Insiders insist the momentum is being driven by the Celtic board, not by enthusiasm from Germany, and not without resistance from those who question the timing and logic of the move.
Celtic stand at a familiar but uncomfortable crossroads — torn between trust in long-term vision and the immediate demands of a season that will not wait.
Whether Andrej Ilic becomes a calculated masterstroke or a symbol of misjudged urgency remains uncertain. But the debate itself tells a deeper story.
At Celtic, belief can move mountains.
The danger comes when belief outruns evidence — especially when goals are what decide everything.
