Alan Hutton has a regular slot with Football Insider where he tries to give the impression that the Rangers are gaining ground on Celtic at every opportunity, and this week is no different.
It’s never been clear why players are regularly linked with both Celtic and the Rangers, it’s probably lazy journalism and an easy way to appeal to both sides of the city, or it could just be that their scouts have very similar mindsets.
Either way, Montpellier youngster Thomas Robert has been linked with both sides, and in the latest exclusive with Football Insider, Hutton is giving the impression that his old side might win the race to sign him:
“He obviously looks a good prospect, he’s still very young and it just shows you the scouting system at both Rangers and Celtic, they’re looking far and wide for players.”
“They’ve done really well in recruitment terms and they’ll be looking to keep that up. It looks like they’re going for a certain type of player – young, hungry, wants to prove something or got something to prove to really kick on and help Rangers match up with Celtic.”
“We’re not silly now, we understand, even before this pandemic what was going on. Transfer fees weren’t going to be sky high so Rangers, probably more than Celtic, are looking to unearth these quality youngsters that have come through.”
“It ticks a lot of boxes, they recognise he’s got talent and hopefully makes a bang in the first team.”
It’s tough to say how much of a coup this would be. His father Laurent is well known from his playing spell with Newcastle United, while Montpellier have a history of developing some top class youngsters over the years.
Despite that, he’s never played a senior game so there’s no way of saying if he’s close to being ready to play for either side.
Clearly Hutton feels his signing would be a big thing and no doubt it will be heralded as a big win if they do manage to sign him, but it’s probably not worth getting worked up about at this stage.
INVINCIBLE BY MATT CORR – OUT FRIDAY 15 MAY
INVINCIBLE is Matt Corr’s stunning debut as a published Celtic author.
INVINCIBLE has 288 pages plus a bumper 32 pages of colour courtesy of the wonderful Vagelis Georgariou at Big Lens, capturing all the action from that magical Celtic year – surely the best since season 1966-67 when Celtic also won the Treble and added the European Cup!
Our Father’s Day offer is as follows. When you order INVINCIBLE from The Celtic Star Bookstore you will receive a signed copy of Matt’s book plus a copy of That Season in Paradise, so Celtic’s best two seasons in your dad’s lifetime are covered brilliantly.
With forewords from renowned Celtic author and historian, David Potter and a star of the Invincible season ERIK SVIATCHENKO , INVINCIBLE tells the story of the grand old Glasgow club’s record-breaking 2016/17 season through the perspective of a lifelong Hoops supporter, who follows the Bhoys as events unfold which could not possibly have been envisaged by the worldwide Celtic diaspora just twelve months earlier.
New heroes emerge and memories are created, to be recalled and retold by those with Celtic in their hearts long after those privileged to witness history have passed through Parkhead’s gates for the last time. You will laugh and you will cry, as memories from the author’s five decades of following his beloved team are woven into his record of this incredible campaign.
INVINCIBLE. That was how it felt to be Celtic.
Invincible author Matt Corr is a stadium tour guide at Celtic Park, writes for the match day programme and is a popular contributor to The Celtic Star, where he covers Celtic players from the past in great detail as well as writing about the club’s European trips from the perspective of the travelling Hoops support.
“I am in a training camp in Poland and they are there. They stand up and cheer, then start to sing. “He’s magic, you know, Erik Sviatchenko.” I turn to my teammates. “Listen guys. They are everywhere!” That love that you show to every player makes you unique. If I were still in Glasgow, I would walk around with a sign on my back. ‘I am Invincible! Have you ever tried that?’
ERIK SVIATCHENKO, Celtic Invincible Star
“The 2016/17 INVINCIBLE season will be talked about by Celtic supporters for a long time in the same way as people still talk about 1907/08 and 1966/67. It was a tremendous season. Tremendous events need tremendous recording and recounting. Matt Corr has done just that. This is a worthy addition to the impressive panoply of writing about our great club.’
DAVID POTTER, Celtic FC author & historian
Order your signed copy today at thecelticbookstore.co.uk and we’ll include a complimentary copy of That Season in Paradise.
