Someone is trying hard to drum up transfer interest in Ryan Christie with Italian side Sampdoria being mentioned this morning as “considering a shock move’ for the Celtic and Scotland attacking midfielder. Earlier in the week the old Christie to Burnley story re-surfaced from last summer although no bids have been made.
The talk of both Monaco and Nice being in the frame haven’t amounted to anything concrete as of yet and last weekend it was the former Nice manager Patrick Vierra’s move to Crystal Palace that allowed hacks to put two and two together to link Christie with a move to Selhurst Park. Again nothing much happening on this one either.
Christie is out of contract in January and may be happy to sit tight and see his contract run down so that he can sort a pre-contract somewhere. One thing that is continually mentioned though is for him to find a club that suits his style of play and as player who is all action, full of running and likes to play the game at the fastest possible pace, then maybe he can’t see what is right in front of him in the broad shoulders and bellowing voice of the new manager at Celtic.
Ange Postecoglou could be the making of Ryan Christie who has frustrated supporters over the past year or so with his over eagerness to get a shot on goal and his rushed approach to playing the game.
He placed a great deal of importance on having an impact at the European Championships after scoring the important goal in the play-offs against Serbia. However he was substituted at half-time in the 2-0 defeat against Czech Republic and wasn’t selected for the games against England or Croatia, where he was an unused substitute. That would have been a major disappointment to the player who was so emotional in that interview the night Scotland qualified for the European Championships after such a long wait to reach a major finals.
Ryan Christie needs to press the re-set button on his career and he needs to work with a coach who is going to get the best out of him. That was not working for Celtic or indeed for Scotland this summer. Is Ange Postecoglou the answer to Christie’s problems? Sometimes the answer is staring you right in the face Ryan.
With the security of a new and improved deal at Celtic, Christie could settle down and get back to focusing on his football, working with Postecoglou to bring out the best in a player who is in dander of losing his way.
Cheerio