Celtic must feel pain at £2.6m transfer miss - Millwall are laughing loudest | OneFootball

Tairyk Arconte has settled into life at Millwall brilliantly, which must sting for Celtic, who were linked with him this summer

It's been a difficult start to the 2026/27 campaign for Millwall, given their extensive injury crisis in the opening stages.

There haven't been too many players in Alex Neil's side who have been able to play the majority of their games so far. Those who have are getting plenty of plaudits from the fanbase, who, like the players, probably can't wait for a little rest after this weekend.

One of the more durable players in the opening month of the campaign has been new signing Tairyk Arconte, who arrived from Ligue 2 side Rodez this summer in a deal worth a reported €3 million (£2.6 million).

While it can sometimes take young strikers from foreign leagues time to get used to the Championship, the 22-year-old has hit the ground running at the Den, to the delight of Millwall fans and to the dismay of those who support Celtic.

Celtic were interested in Tairyk Arconte before he joined Millwall this summer

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Despite a season-long scare from Hearts last year, Celtic were able to secure their fifth consecutive SPL title last term, and their 14th in the last 15 years.

But it wasn't a good year overall for the Bhoys, though, who struggled in Europe and underwent a few managerial changes throughout the campaign. Evidently, there needed to be improvement at Celtic Park this summer.

Martin O'Neill's side went to work in the transfer market, and at the top of their list was a striker. Numerous options were available to them, including Arconte, who Foot Mercato reported was of interest to the Scottish giants back in June.

Why Tairyk Arconte was of interest to the likes of Celtic and Millwall this summer

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Arconte has over 100 appearances in the second tier of French football, but it was last season that the 22-year-old exploded into life for Rodez.

Before last year, the new Millwall frontman hadn't scored more than six in a full season, and that term in 2023/24 on loan at Rodez saw him used mainly as a substitute option. Indeed, the French outfit didn't bring him in permanently from Brest after that campaign, signing him the year after from Pau.

Last season, he netted 13 times and assisted a further four goals to help Rodez make the play-offs, eventually losing on penalties to Saint-Étienne. He was simply unplayable in the run-in, netting in six consecutive games from March through to mid-April, and then again on the final day, taking his tally to seven in nine.

Arconte definitely showed glimpses of the potential he has, and the possibility of him developing that in Scotland was high.

In the end, though, Millwall were the side to land him ahead of the Hoops, who signed Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran to lead the line for them instead.

Millwall have struck early transfer gold with Tairyk Arconte — Celtic must be feeling some envy

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Both Hogh and Duran have settled in well for a Celtic side who have won all six league games to open the 2026/27 campaign. Both have three league goals, but so does Arconte in his first six games for Millwall.

The Guadeloupe international announced himself to the home fans perfectly in his first game at the Den against Norwich City, netting a brace in a 3-0 win. He made it three in six on Tuesday night by scoring at the Riverside against Middlesbrough.

Arconte has been a nuisance for opposition defences, playing either behind the main striker or as the number nine. His 28 touches in the opposition's box and nine fouls won rank him in the top 88th percentile of Championship frontmen through the opening seven games of the campaign, per FotMob.

And while Celtic will be happy that their new strikers have settled in well, they probably can't help but feel a little envious about how their former target is performing over in the Championship.

Tairyk Arconte has plenty of potential that Millwall can capitalise on in the future

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One thing that Millwall have really excelled at in recent years is being able to identify young stars from further down the EFL or abroad, bring them in for a modest fee and oversee rapid development to sell on for double, triple or even quadruple the profit in a few years.

Four of their five record sales, per Transfermarkt, have taken place in the last 18 months, and while that could be due to the state of money within football right now, the way the likes of Femi Azeez, Romain Esse, Zian Flemming and Japhet Tanganga have all improved at the Den has warranted big money coming in for their services.

Even now, the likes of Tristan Crama, Caleb Taylor and Mihailo Ivanovic were all brought in from sides lower down the EFL, clubs in their own division or in Serbia, respectively, and you feel as and when they do get sold, they'll be earning Alex Neil's side some serious profit.

Arconte definitely seems to be joining that group of profitable young players who, in the meantime, are all contributing to what has been the most exciting Millwall team since the late 1980s.

If the 22-year-old can continue developing as he has over the past year, the Lions could be in to make a little more than the £2.6 million they spent on his services — profit which Celtic would have missed out on.