When it comes to mainstream Journalists and the worthiness of their reported Celtic targets it’s fair to say Sky Sport’s Anthony Joseph is a credible reporter.
I’m far from sure whether there has been anything other than a re-hashing of links from last summer when it comes to the potential transfer of Japanese international and Manchester City defender Ko Itakura, but it certainly doesn’t seem to be one that is going away.
And Joseph, speaking to Give Me Sport, certainly seems to think there is something in the story with the Sky Sports man and Celtic supporter believing Celtic may be in with a view to picking up Itakura on an initial loan deal with an option to buy.
“Itakura is someone they’ve been tracking for quite some time and they wanted him in last season, actually, but he chose to go on loan to Schalke, and Celtic are back in the frame for him because Schalke weren’t able to pay the €6m option to buy. Celtic might look to do a loan with an option to buy there.”
Of course I’m happy to bow to Joseph’s superior knowledge and contacts on this one but it’s not one that adds up for me.
On the one hand I accept he’s an ideal fit for Celtic and he’s certainly a player I’d love to see sign on, but much of the club’s interest in Itakura seems to stem from last season where the player moved to Schalke and Celtic moved on to Cameron Carter-Vickers, there really don’t seem to be any fresh tracks surrounding this deal, but you never know,
As for this one being a loan deal with an option to buy, I’m not sure I see that either. Itakura is 25 now, has in no way troubled the Manchester City first team and another loan deal at this stage seems unlikely.
An option to buy was attached for Schalke at £5m last season, yet with obligations to buy for three other players taking priority for the German side, the option attached on the Itakura deal was by-passed by the newly promoted Bundesliga side.
The fact the option to buy was attached probably tells us that Manchester City will be looking to sell Itakura outright in this window rather than look at another loan deal, even if an option to buy was included.
Also, the loan rule changes that arrive in this transfer window, whereby City will only be able to loan a maximum of eight players over the age of 21 to nations outside their own country, will probably see a summer where City try and cash in on players such as Itakura, alongside similarly aged and stockpiled footballers, as the options to send players abroad for tidy loan fees while putting players in the shop window may now be dwindling.
Celtic may well be looking at Itakura, but it is just as likely that these links originate from last season rather than having any fresh impetus behind them in this transfer window. But if Celtic are interested it’s fair to say an outright purchase rather than a loan deal with an option to buy may suit City better – and with clubs like Hoffenheim and Fulham interested in Itakura the £5m asking price is likely to be met by those interested parties this summer and both those clubs will have a significant financial advantage over Celtic when it comes to the transfer fee but also crucially the wages they can offer.
Would Celtic be willing to shell out a similar fee after spending £6m plus on Cameron Carter-Vickers, or are we more likely to look at other options where we can try before we buy again, and instead move resources to other areas of the team Ange Postecoglou will also want to address? The latter seems more likely.
It may be possible to hang fire, and much like we did with Carter Vickers, leave a loan deal with an option to buy on the table in the hope no tranfer can be agreed between City and the clubs reported to be showing an interest, but that would appear to go against the wishes of Ange Postecoglou who appears to want deal signed sealed and delivered with a view to getting the squad up to speed in pre-season.
Niall J
It’s Father’s Day this Sunday so why not order a copy of David Potter’s new book, Willie Fernie – Putting on the Style and we’ll get it posted straight away. You can order from Celtic Star Books – using the link below – or alternatively you can pick up a copy from any of the official Celtic Stores…
Alec McNair – Celtic’s Icicle by David Potter and both Invincible and Harry Hood Twice as Good by Matt Corr are also available from Celtic Star Books. Both of Matt’s book currently come with a free t-shirt featuring Tom Rogic or Harry Hood as part of our Father’s Day promotion.
