Osaze Urhoghide certainly made an impression on his first competitive start for Celtic in the Europa League dead rubber against Betis, so much so that when a loan love to KV Oostende was agreed in January the fact an option to buy was attached to the deal with the Belgian side was a bit of a surprise.
After all, as a commentator advised at the time Urhoghide of the player signing from Sheffield Wednesday in the summer, Celtic had got themselves a player with a lot to work on but also a lot to work with.
A gradual blooding in the Celtic squad, followed by some competitive action and a subsequent loan deal may have intimated Celtic were trying to find a way to polish their diamond in the rough. Yet the option to buy being included instead appeared to indicate the ‘lot to work’ with perhaps wasn’t quite enough to convince Ange Postecoglou that Urhoghide had a future at the club.
If that was indeed the case, it appears Postecoglou’s judgement was right. After all, whilst in Belgium Urhoghide has managed only six 90 minutes in a KV Oostende shirt, all in central defence, meanwhile he’s also appeared for a further 45 minutes on the right side of midfield.
Given all that you would have assumed KV Oostende would be sending Urhoghide back to Celtic this summer, and whilst that may still be the case there does seem some interest in the player from the Jupiler league club with Scottish Sun reporting Oostende CEO Gauthier Ganaye as saying:
‘Urhoghide has proved to be an excellent addition, but the problem is he is still too expensive for us. But I hope we can work out a solution with Celtic, then I would be very happy because we really want to keep Osaze.’
Whether the fee included in the option to buy is the expensive stumbling block, or indeed the weekly wage packet of the player himself is not clear, it may well be a bit of both. But as Oostende initially did when Jack Hendry was on loan at the same club the season before last, pleading poverty appears to be a tactic Oostende have used on Celtic in the past.
Whether Celtic will be willing to manoeuvre on this one or whether Urhoghide will simply return to Celtic in the summer whilst another loan deal is sought, remains to be seen. But despite a dearth of trusted central defensive options available to Ange Postecoglou it certainly appears a long-term future at Celtic seems unlikely given Celtic were willing to include an option to buy in the players first loan deal away from the club.
Whether it’s at KV Oostende and a financial agreement can be reached, or whether Osaze Urhoghide returns to Celtic, it appears his footballing future may not involve being part of an Ange Postecoglou matchday squad, and as such a solution one way or another to ensure Urhoghide plays some football and Celtic get his wages paid seems the likely outcome for the player – unless Celtic and KV Oostende can find some common ground.
Niall J
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