The news that Ange Postecoglou is about to sign Australian international midfielder Aaron Mooy on a free transfer after his departure from Chinese club Shanghai Port – where he was on huge money incidentally – will deliver on half of the promise that the Celtic manager made on Saturday afternoon after the 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers, when he promised two new signings over the next seven days.
There’s little chance Ange would have said that unless he was fairly certain that the deals were pretty much certain to happen and in the case of Mooy he is dealing with a player he knows very well indeed from his time as the Socceroos manager and also one whose wife’s family come from Glasgow. With numerous leading sides south of the border interested, that could have played a factor in Mooy opting to be re-united with Ange but the deal probably hinges on the relationship between the two Aussies, or wait make that three as Harry Kewell is now on the Celtic coaching staff too.
Aaron Mooy of Australia controls the ball during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 AFC Asian Qualifier match between Australia Socceroos and Vietnam at AAMI Park on January 27, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Yesterday’s news that a Japanese broadcaster had bought the rights to show Scottish Premiership football and planned to concentrate their coverage around Celtic due to Ange and his four J-League signings – Kyogo, Maeda, Hatate and Ideguchi – adds to the growing Celtic momentum which will increase further when Celtic visit Japan next summer.
And of course Celtic are already heading to Australia this November for the Ange Homecoming Tour also know as the Sydney Cup. Everton replaced the ‘feart’ Rangers in that one as the support act but the headliners are unquestionably Celtic.
Mooy will probably sit that one out though as he’ll have World Cup business on his mind with the Socceroos but the interest in Celtic this season Down Under – already high – is set to go through the roof with the arrival of one of their top stars.