When Tony Ralston was photographed arriving back at pre-season training at Lennoxtown last week we were given the first indication that Celtic had taken up the one year option on his contract to keep the 22 year old right back at the club.
Ralston made just the one appearance for the club last season against Livingston in January when most of the Celtic squad were forced to self isolate after the ill-fated Dubai trip. Ralston delivered probably the best cross of the season from a Celtic right-back in that match and he is currently the ONLY right-back with first team experience at the club.
Yet there was no sign of Leigh Griffiths at Lennoxtown as the players in their cars waited for clearance to enter the training group and were snapped for the tabloids by the waiting photographers who had been given their usual heads-up by the club.
On the same day a few years ago Kieran Tierney famously welcomed back a teammate of his with the line ‘S’happin’ Bitton?” – this time around with Tony Ralston his very presence in that car queue told us what was happening with him as other remained conspicuous by their absence. Anyone seen Olivier Ntcham?
Ralston had attracted interest from various clubs in Scotland in both the Premiership and Championship but it would not have been the same as staying at Celtic, although that call was the club’s and not one for the player to make. He will have an opportunity to impress incoming boss Ange Postecoglou who will arrive this week and while the previous manager clearly did not fancy Ralston who is to say the Australian will come to a similar conclusion?
Stephen O’Donnell revealed what went on between him and Jack Grealish on this morning’s #ScotlandHQ – and the tips he’d been given from John McGinn… 😂
➡️ Catch up on the full episode here: https://t.co/UllsrqDI2E pic.twitter.com/OlQLksc6ZM
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 20, 2021
Postecoglou was at Wembley on Friday evening and with only two players from the Scottish Premiership on the park, Callum McGregor and Stephen O’Donnell, his thoughts might well have been that a) Calmac was absolutely outstanding despite the lack of credit given to his performance by the media (funny that Ange, welcome to Scotland) and b) O’Donnell was mightily impressive at right back and is probably a player earning as much in a year as some of those England players earn in a week or two. O’Donnell might just have done enough on Friday night to earn a move to England, or maybe even to Celtic.
Celtic had three other right backs at the club last season. Jeremie Frimpong was sold to Bayer Leverkusen for £11.5m in January, a windfall offer Celtic could hardly believe or indeed refuse while Hatem Abd Elhamed returned to Israel to be with his wife and young son after enduring a very difficult period essentially alone in his Glasgow home and only heading out for training and matches. Hardly surprisingly his form dropped off markedly and the January window offload suited all parties.
Everton loanee Jonjoe Kenny was recruited in that eventful January window as a short term replacement but he failed to impress after a decent debut and returned to Goodison Park last month. Surprisingly he is now being linked with a move to Arsenal, as we reported yesterday.
It should also be noted that it’s two years since Celtic decided against taking up a similar option on Mikael Lustig’s contract, allowing the Swede to leave the club initially for a move to Belgium before returning to his homeland. Lustig, you will have noticed is currently starting for Sweden in the European Championships.
Had his legs gone two years ago or was there enough in the tank to see him make it through to the Ten? It’s always easier with the benefit of hindsight but the risk involved in keeping Tony Ralston at the club is merely one year’s wages for a player who doesn’t impress the new manager and can be loaned out in January to see out his contract. The upside for the player is of course he takes his chance, impresses Postecoglou and finally breaks into the Celtic first time as a regular starter.
Lustig. That was another sign of Lennons weakness. Lennon wanted to keep him. Lustig wanted to stay. Lustig was released. Typical Celtic. Opinions on Lustig are not relevant to the fact the manager had little or no say on sales or recruitment . Weak.