Did Celtic make a mistake selling Giorgos Giakoumakis to MLS side Atlanta United? That’s a question plenty of Bhoys fans have asked themselves and others since he left Glasgow.
His latest powerfully headed goal for Greece in a high-profile qualifier away to the Republic of Ireland on Friday, towering over the recently impressive Celtic defender Liam Scales, has reignited some of that chatter.
There’s no doubt that Giakoumakis is a very effective striker and he was popular with Celtic supporters for a reason. His goals during the 2021/22 season were huge in delivering first-season success under Ange Postecoglou. He should be fondly remembered, I have no issue with that.
But the idea that keeping the Greek striker was viable is misguided. The reality is he wanted to leave to become the main man elsewhere. By the end, it seemed he wasn’t happy to co-exist as a rotation option from the first-choice pick Kyogo Furuhashi.
Postecoglou made that quite clear in the days preceding his eventual switch to the USA.
That confident streak is what makes Giakoumakis the player he is. He’s bullish, full of bravado and eager to stamp his authority on matches. He was a brilliant option to have as support for Kyogo, even off the bench. However, if he wasn’t happy playing second fiddle then it was the right thing for all parties that he be moved on.
Yes, I would love to still have him at the club if he was motivated and eager to play the Hyeongyu Oh role, but he wasn’t. I wouldn’t swap Kyogo for him and I don’t think many would. Celtic need quality backup, but they also need someone to understand and be comfortable with the fact that is their place in the squad.
Kyogo is arguably the best forward we’ve had on the books since Henrik Larsson, he was rightly made the priority by Ange Postecoglou and Celtic, even if it meant Giakoumakis was looking for options elsewhere.
With 15 goals in MLS since joining Atlanta, he’s proven himself across the Atlantic and full credit to him. But just because he’s finding form and success doesn’t mean Celtic have made a grave error. We don’t have to judge every transfer out of the club on those terms.
Player power is strong these days and the Bhoys did well to get a class contribution out of Giakoumakis and make a profit on his sale. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Oh is the long-term answer either, but when I see a goal flash pop up with the Greek striker’s name on it, I don’t think it’s a sign of bad Celtic strategy – I’m just happy he is showing off his attributes at a good level.
In other news, “This was my favourite Celtic strip of all time”; Brendan Rodgers shows his love for Bhoys.
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