Olivier Ntcham was watching Marseille’s final pre-season game tonight while his Celtic teammates played Hearts at Tynecastle. The Frenchman has a year left on his deal but appears not to feature in Ange Postecoglou’s plans for the future. The decision to go to the French club suggests that a deal is in the offing as Ntcham was positioned close to the dugout at the Stade Velodrome.
Ntcham had reportedly agreed on personal terms of £20k-per-week with AEK Athens but Celtic would not release him from his contract and now it is being reported that Ntcham’s representatives made it clear that he wanted to remain at Celtic. Postecoglou said after the pre-season win over Charlton Athletic that Ntcham was happy to stay at Celtic and fight for his place. The French midfielder hasn’t featured again with Postecoglou saying he was a fair way away from the first-team picture.
A loan move to Marseille did not appear to work out for any parties but the player might be looking at a return to the South of France if a fee is agreed between the two sides. Celtic would better spend the wages on someone like James McCarthy or Patrick Berg as they look to add quality to the squad.