Chris Sutton has urged the Celtic Board to back Ange Postecoglou this summer in advance of the club’s return to the group stages of the Champions League, starting with the expected expenditure of around £13m to secure the signatures of both Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota. That’s a significant outlay for a Scottish club, as Sutton notes in his newspaper column this morning but the former Celtic striker reckons that it should only be a start as the rebuilding job after such a successful start, moves to the next stage.
“Celtic would need to stump up the guts of £13m for the pair and that’s no small change in Scottish football terms. But it would be money well spent. The pair of them are no longer gambles. We all know what they can do and their importance to the team. It’s also clear they will both potentially be worth far more than £13m before long,” Sutton states in his weekly Daily Record column. “They would be an investment.”
Sutton points to the transfer revenue surplus of around £10m from the sales of Odsonne Edouard, Kris Ajer and Ryan Christie last summer, with the latter of course contributing to the pot this summer too as Bournemouth’s promotion means another £1m coming Celtic’s way, if the Cherries stay up next another £1m will be heading to Paradise.
The stage Celtic are at the moment means that there will be little other transfer revenue coming in the door this summer but the squad value is increasing substantially with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada, Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate and Josip Juranovic all increasing their value after debut seasons at Celtic. “When the time comes they will make the club some money,” says Sutton.
“Now is not the time though. This is an important window for Postecoglou. He managed to work a minor miracle in recruiting at breakneck pace last summer and some of it was by the seat of the pants.
“It’s hard to imagine Celtic being as successful as they were if they’d not landed Carter-Vickers in the final minutes of the transfer window. Postecoglou’s eye for a player should earn him the trust of the board to add the quality he’ll feel he needs to make a proper fist of the Champions League.
He laughed off the notion of going there and parking the bus. He said he doesn’t own a bus, and I just admit, I like that stuff. But there has to be a hint of realism as well. Brendan Rodgers had lofty ideas playing at that level and his team got slaughtered. There can’t be any more five, six or seven goal defeats if Celtic are going to be a credible force on their return to the big stage. It’ll come down to getting the balance right – as well as the recruitment,” Sutton reckons.
And the popular football pundit has a word of advice for some Celtic supporters who aren’t keen on additional loan players being recruited this summer.
“I’ve seen some fans being a bit snooty about talk of loan deals, with the usual links to Man City players. It’s inevitable with Mark Lawwell coming in and his links to the City Football Group. But I wouldn’t scoff too much. Ideally you want to sign players on permanent contracts but I don’t actually mind loan moves – if they are the right ones.
“Celtic have had a fair few that have paid off over the years, as well as a few bum deals. The likes of Patrick Roberts, Jason Denayer, the two players last season, all enhanced the team. It’s vital to bring in loans who are either hungry to make an impact to get their parent club take notice – or even better persuade Celtic to turn the temporary deals in to long term stays.
“Knowing the work Postecoglou puts in to background checks, he’ll know if a potential loanee is just looking to bide their time somewhere or make a real impression,” Sutton believes.
On what might actually happen as Celtic enter the transfer market Sutton sees a fairly busy window but obviously nowhere near as hectic as last summer. “I would expect Celtic to make three or four signings this summer and then perhaps borrow a couple if the chance arrises. There’s still some positions to fill, including centre back – even if Carter-Vickers gets done as it looks like Christopher Jullien will be going.
“The Frenchman clearly isn’t Postecoglou’s cup of tea given the fact he’s been nowhere near the side despite being fit from the turn of the year. Jullien has been a decent player for Celtic but the manger sees him in training and has made up his mind.
“It might be he doesn’t think he is cut out for the kind of centre half role he likes, where they can be a bit exposed man for man at times, and if that’s the case then it might be best for all involved for a parting of the ways.
“Celtic spent £7m on Jullien and won’t get that money back with him being out for 18 months. But that shouldn’t put a dent in Postecoglou’s budget as this is the time to invest in the future under the Aussie.”
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