There have been an abundant amount of links to Celtic over the last few weeks, with players galore being linked following the appointment of Ange Postecoglou and his rebuild taking place.
Australian players and former links made under the spell of Neil Lennon and Brendan Rodgers have resurfaced in recent weeks, prompting debate amongst Celtic fans alike. Yet, having travelled from Yokohama Marinos to Glasgow, there has been an apparent lack of links from the four-time J-League champions – something which former Celtic talisman Frank McAvennie has seen to be a good thing as opposed to bad.
“We have to have faith in him and see what happens but it would not surprise me if he was speaking to his former players.
The former Celtic hero, who scored 37 goals in just 85 league appearances over two spells at Parkhead, believes that it could be a good sign that no players have been linked, as the deals could go massively under the radar, meaning no hijacking for a potential star. Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie trusted Ange to bring in the best players available from the South Japanese side.
“He’ll have players in mind, players he’s had before. Players he trusts, but players we’ve never heard of. It’s a quick fix for him. If Postecoglou believes these players are good enough then he could easily bring them in. I don’t have a problem with it. Some people want the big names but sometimes that’s not the right move.”
Celtic have been linked with Australian players Mat Ryan and Aaron Mooy as of late, yet there has been no mention of any players incoming from the J-League. Although, following the success of Shunsuke Nakamura – the Hoops’ legend born in Yokohama, and who played for the Marinos from 1997-2002 and 2010-2017 – Celtic already have a strong affiliation with the club, which could lead to future signings no doubt.
“We have to have faith in him and see what happens but it would not surprise me if he was speaking to his former players. He might have even said ‘see you in a few weeks’ to the lads at Yokohama.”
