Celtic are reportedly close to signing Manchester City’s young sensation Olivier Ntcham as the player was seen arriving at Glasgow’s Blythswood Hotel ahead of his medical with the Scottish giants. The Manchester City Under-23 player has caught the attention of many with his sizzling footwork in the midfield and Brendan Rodgers looks to have won the race for the Frenchman.
Unlike other top footballing sides across Europe, Celtic aren’t that stable financially and Rodgers knew he has to work with a restrained budget when he took up the job of the manager. And the Bhoys have undoubtedly done a marvellous job of bringing together an unusual group of players to manage an unbeaten season in their domestic campaign.
Rodgers fetched brilliant results from another of Manchester City’s youngster, Patrick Roberts, last season, who was instrumental in their brilliant campaign scoring nine goals and assisting 14 times in the Scottish Premiership last season. He was also resourceful in Celtic’s SFA Cup campaign, where he managed three assists in four appearances. And now with him returning to Etihad, the club seems quite confident of having a similar outcome with their new would-be recruit.
The former Liverpool boss is in desperate need of a perfect number 10, which he hugely missed on the European nights. And Ntcham could be the missing piece of the puzzle given the player’s positional preference.
Speaking to media, Ntcham said, “I can play deep in midfield and recover the ball but I prefer to be in the offensive areas where you need to be decisive. The position of the playmaker, the No 10, suits me the best. This is where I get most pleasure.”
Pretty much inspired by French legend Zinedine Zidane, the player wishes to emulate him on the world stage and possesses the attributes to do so. He could provide the perfect blend of power and technique in the attacking third, who can drill his way into the opponent’s defence.
An academy product of French side AC Le Havre, Ntcham was taken up by City’s scouts back in 2012. And the teen has turned out to be a decent option in the midfield. He broke into City’s Under-21 side in 2015 and soon sent on loan to Serie A side Genoa. However, he could see only 37 appearances over two seasons and could be little productive.
Ntcham managed only three goals and two assists in Italy and they decided not to use their buying option. Given City’s first team squad, it would have been extremely difficult for the player to break in and in such a scenario, Scottish Premiership is the perfect place for him especially under Rodgers.
