Ange Postecoglou responds to Ryotaro Ito Celtic transfer reports

By John McGinley

May 13, 2023

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has said any transfer reports linking the Bhoys to specific players are “well, well, well off the mark” after being asked about Ryotaro Ito.

Postecoglou has made a number of big J-League signings since arriving in Glasgow with Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi emerging as some of the best players in the Scottish Premiership. It stands to reason that the club will return to that well again as long as the Australian is in charge.

On Thursday, The Daily Record reported that Ito is the latest on the radar of the Celtic scouting team, with the midfielder showing some impressive form in his homeland with Albirez Niigata.

Ange Postecoglou amused by Celtic transfer reports

However, the Celtic boss was quick to quash any rumours with a typically Ange response to a question about that player, in his press conference ahead of playing Rangers.

He said [Celtic FC]: “They’ve gone early with their stabs in the dark, haven’t they? Look, we’re doing our work but people trying to identify who we’re trying to earmark for next year – it’s fair to say if they’re taking punts now they are well, well, well off the mark. Well off the mark. Without talking about specific players.”

Many of the deals done by Celtic under Postecoglou have come without much speculation beforehand. Kyogo was a surprise announcement, for example. If anything, any reports have largely come from foreign sources before being confirmed by the Bhoys.

It seems that will be the case again this summer. The Celtic boss seemed amused by the early speculation and his tone in answering the question suggests nobody outside of the club currently has any idea who’ll be arriving in the next transfer window.

I’m far from snobby about transfer speculation. I actually enjoy hearing about all the players available in the market, whether Celtic are keen or not. But it’s definitely for the best that the Bhoys get on with this task behind-the-scenes before delighting fans with announcements.

In other news, Argentinian club make Diego Valoyes contract announcement after Celtic transfer rumour.