Report: Two key details about what Ange Postecoglou wants at Celtic this summer

By Hamish Carton

May 12, 2023

Ange Postecoglou is preparing for his fifth transfer window as Celtic manager.

Sure, the current squad still have plenty to look forward to in the final five games of the season, but Postecoglou will already be aware of what is required in the summer.

Late on Thursday night, the Daily Record linked us with a move for Albirex Niigata midfielder Ryotaro Ito.

While Ito is an intriguing option, given that he played outside of Japan’s top tier last season, it is some of the other wording in the report which is most interesting.

It gives two key details, saying that Ange “is keen to bring in younger options to his squad” this summer. Also, that he “is looking to strengthen the middle to front areas”.

Celtic did seem to take a younger approach in January. Giorgos Giakoumakis and Josip Juranovic were replaced by Hyeongyu Oh and Alistair Johnston.

Yuki Kobayashi was another player with potential who joined the club during the month.

Ange even acknowledged this approach in some enlightening comments shortly after Juranovic’s departure.

It seems like experience was required for Celtic to get back to the top of Scottish football quickly, given where we found ourselves when Ange arrived.

Now, maybe the real growth can be found in high-potential signings like Jota, Reo Hatate and Oh.

It will be interesting to see how young Ange goes this summer, and whether these players come in to make an immediate impact.

The consensus seems to be that we aren’t far away from being able to attain results in the UEFA Champions League.

The team should be better for their experiences in the competition this season. With a few quality additions, we could have some success.

One thing’s for sure: Celtic aren’t going to be standing still this summer.

In other news, Inverness are in a sticky position ahead of next month’s Scottish Cup final