Last week we reported on the remarks from Fabrizio Romano concerning interest in Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers from English Premier League sides. Romano is the sought-out journalist on social media for transfers and receives much of his information from agents, who it should be remembered don’t just work for clubs but also for players.
And one established trick in the early days of a plan to recruit a player who is doing very well at his current club is to try to unsettle the player and also clear the ground for the action that is perhaps a few months down the line. The club or clubs eyeing the player stay in the shadows and the follow-up stories should the early interest firm up is sure to also find it’s way to the Italian reporter and his reputation is enhanced further as the ‘in the know’ transfer guru.
Here’s our report from last week which was written by Paul Gillespie…
READ THIS…Fabrizio Romano: Premier League eyes on Celtic star Cameron Carter-Vickers
Incidentally Carl Starfelt has also received similar media speculation involving Fabrizio Romano reporting on Celtic players catching eyes in England and we can also expect to see the Liel Abada transfer stories increase over the coming weeks.
Ange Postecoglou warned the support at the club’s AGM last November that he was planning on being aggressive in the transfer window and that we could expect to see some of the established stars from the league winning campaign the previous season leaving in the coming months. That duly happened with Josip Juranovic being sold to Union Berlin and Giorgos Giakoumakis heading to Atlanta.
On the other side of the coin Postecoglou brought in Alistair Johnston and Oh as direct replacements and added two new Japanese stars – left-sided central defender Yuki Kobayashi and the J-Leagues Player of the Year, the defensive midfielder Tomoki Iwata while adding the net profit from all of those deals to the kitty for the summer business.
The Starfelt – Carter Vickers partnership has yet to lose a match while playing together in the Scottish Premiership and the American international has been particularly impressive in his time at Celtic, it’s fair to say that there is unlikely to be a single Celtic supporter out there who would be happy with any decision to allow CCV to leave the club. However it may come down to the view of the player and the manager – who enjoy a great relationship – and of course CCV is well aware of what he’s already got at Celtic, which was never really there at Tottenham.
Now the United States men’s national soccer team (USMNT) legend Eric Wynalda has been speaking to The Action Network’s Wondergoal Podcast about Cameron Carter-Vickers and he shared his thoughts on whether the defender could leave Celtic in the summer to move to a club in the English Premier League.
“Watching Cameron this year, and last for that matter, has been amazing,” Eric Wynalda said. “His performances have earned him the captain’s band as well as multiple Man of the match awards and team of the week selections.
“At 25 years old the question really is where would be the next step for his career. Celtic is a massive club and for a guy who has finally found a home after multiple loan stints, it might be very hard for him leave at this point,” Wynalda noted.
“He is truly loved at Celtic and the mainstay of the defensive line. If he leaves, there will be tears. The supporters will not want to lose him but will have to understand.
“Cameron will need to make sure he is not put into another situation like Spurs however. The club never committed to him,” the USMNT legend said. “He needs a club that wants him as much as Celtic but would be the appropriate step up in level to impress the new US manager. Tough situation.”
Carter-Vickers – if he stays where he is – will feature in the Champions League next season in a Celtic side that will have real intent to improve in the premier club football tournament in the World – and that is where the new US manager can get all the impressing he’ll need. It would be devastating blow to this increasingly impressive Celtic team to lose Cameron Carter-Vickers in the summer and with only one year into his long term deal at the club, there should be no great rush for Celtic to be even considering such a move.
And of course there’s nothing to suggest that Cameron is even thinking about this himself. The origins of this story can probably be traced back to those who covet his signature.
THE BOULD BHOYS! ‘GLORY TO THEIR NAME’ IS OUT ON FRIDAY 24TH MARCH 2023…
Matthew Marr’s debut Celtic book – ‘The BOULD BHOYS – Glory to their name’ is published on Friday 24 March. Thanks to everyone who has ordered since we announced the book’s release date on Monday night via an interview with the author. Please note that all pre-ordered books will be personally signed by Matthew Marr and you can order below if you’d like a signed copy posted out to you 24 March.
READ THIS...‘The Bould Bhoys – Glory to their name’ by Matthew Marr
