Neil Lennon has revealed just why he took exception to Olivier Ntcham’s recent comments about Celtic.
The Frenchman was quoted by L’Equipe, talking about how he felt the time was right to move on from Celtic. The Frenchman was pretty disparaging towards the standard of the Scottish game and Celtic’s ability to improve him as a player.
Lennon then spoke with the 23-year-old and, although the contents of the conversation will remain in-house, he did reveal what it was that annoyed him most.
“I don’t like that sort of mindset towards the club”, Lennon told the Scottish Sun.
“We’re not a stepping stone for anyone, we’re here to win things and be successful and progress players if that’s what they want — or keep good players for as long as possible.
“We’re a big club and you’ve seen over the years that top-quality players have progressed here in the Scottish environment.”
Lennon is standing up for Celtic
It’s a sad fact of modern football life that Celtic are seen as a stepping stone for the majority of ambitious players. The club gives young talents a chance to play regularly at a decent domestic standard but more importantly – a shot at European football.
The likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Moussa Dembele didn’t come to Celtic because they’d supported the club as youngsters. They came because they saw the club as a stepping stone on to a bigger league.
The difference was that they reached their potential consistently at Celtic and earned a big money move as a result. Ntcham has rarely hit his top game in the Hoops yet still wants out.
Celtic fans aren’t daft. They realise that top talents will want to leave after two or three seasons. They will accept that as long as the players give their all while they play for the club.
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