Ange Postecoglou made some Celtic transfer comments to the press and fan media in recent days, and already they’re coming true.
Postecoglou impressed many with his first public appearance as Celtic manager. He spoke to broadcast, fan, and print media and painted himself as a determined figure willing to fight for the success of the football club.
However, there were two notable transfer remarks he made that are already being reflected in two stories that have come to the fore today.
Firstly, he told the broadcast media that Celtic needed new signings in before Midtjylland in some priority positions. Speaking via the Celtic Youtube channel, he said the following:
“I’m pushing them as hard as I can and we’re hoping we can make some announcements very, very soon. And certainly, from our perspective, there is some urgency in at least a couple of positions — particularly with this game coming up in four weeks’ time.”
Fast forward 48 hours and Celtic are seemingly closing in on their first summer transfer. Croatian media has reported that the Hoops are closing in on Hajduk Split centre-back Mario Vuskovic. It’s been claimed the defender could join this week on a £4.3m deal [Sportske Novosti]. The fee could rise to £5.16m.
Vuskovic close to signing for celtic
All of a sudden, Celtic are close to securing a signing in our biggest priority position of the summer. Already, it looks as though Postecoglou’s words are ringing true here.
Secondly, however, the manager also spoke to the print media about holding onto his key players. As quoted by the Daily Record when asked about selling wantaway players, Ange said the following:
“I’ll make those decisions myself based on what I see and assess. I’ll have those discussions with the players and make sure the club’s interests are protected.
“Whether it’s Edouard or whoever, my feeling is that whatever dreams or aspirations they may have, I think they can accomplish them here at Celtic. Hopefully, they see some synergy there and they want to be involved.
“Because whoever does choose to stay, I want to guarantee them that they’ll be part of something special. And maybe they should think about it before leaving. Because once you go out the door, it’s very hard to get back in. So yes, there are discussions I will have with players over the coming weeks. But I can assure you that whoever does stay will be committed to this club.”
Postecoglou already making big Celtic transfer decisions
All of a sudden, it’s been claimed today by Greek journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos that Ntcham will no longer be a free agent. That Celtic have no interest in letting him go for nothing and that he’s no longer an option for the Greek club.
Funny considering before Postecoglou’s arrival, Athens were confident of getting a deal done [Giannis Chorianopoulos]. Now, after the new man stated he wants to talk to the wataways, there’s a resistance from the Hoops in doing a deal.
It’s clear that Celtic don’t want to confirm anything until after the new manager has spoken to Ntcham.
This is promising stuff for supporters. These are early indications that it is indeed the manager calling the shots. Fingers crossed it’s all synonymous with the new regime at Parkhead, and that Dom McKay fully intends to give his new man complete control over the footballing department.
In other news, a £9m rated striker Rodgers wanted at Celtic in 2019 is now being allowed to leave his club.
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