‘We Held All The Cards’- SD Boasts After Landing Star From Celtic | OneFootball

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Lech Poznan sporting director Tomasz Rzasa has boasted that the Polish club held all the cards when it came to signing Luis Palma from Celtic.

Celtic snapped Palma up from Greek side Aris Salonika, where his speed and ability had caught the eye of Bhoys scouts.

The Honduran winger had a decent debut campaign for the Bhoys, while scoring ten goals in 36 appearances.

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However, the winger fell out of favour under former manager Brendan Rodgers and was eventually loaned to Olympiacos in February 2025 in search of regular playing time.

Palma endured a disappointing spell in Greece and was again sent on a season-long loan spell to Polish side Lech Poznan in July 2025.

The Honduras international enjoyed a very successful spell at Lech Poznan, where he was dubbed ‘the boss’ by a Polish journalist.

In the recent Ekstraklasa season, Palma made 31 appearances for the Polish side, scoring ten goals and providing six assists as he played a key role in Kolejorz’s title-winning campaign.

Following his impressive displays, the Celtic star became an ‘absolute priority’ signing for the Kolejorz.

Lech Poznan’s hopes of signing Palma received a boost when it was suggested that the Bhoys were ‘determined to part ways’ with the winger.

However, Celtic insisted that exercising Palma’s release clause was the only way to secure the Honduran’s signature following the negotiations with the Polish club.

Lech Poznan were trying to push down the asking price during talks with Celtic, amid other clubs such as Sevilla starting to show interest.

Kolejorz sporting director Rzasa stressed that Palma’s achievements were impossible to ignore.

He indicated that the club were never overly concerned by the speculation surrounding the winger’s future, as they always ‘held all the cards’ in Palma’s transfer.

The sporting director added that the club are confident that the Honduras international can continue his strong form and will be an important player for the campaign.

“However, we were calm about all the speculation surrounding our player, knowing we held all the cards.

“That’s why we waited until the end of the season and, after careful analysis, decided to acquire the winger from Celtic.

“We hope he continues to perform as well as he has so far and will help us from the start of the season, as we already face important challenges, such as the Champions League qualifiers.”

Palma could potentially come up against Celtic in the Champions League next season as a Lech Poznan player.

It remains to be seen if Celtic do regret letting him depart, but the Bhoys head into an expected busy window with a cash boost.