Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia
United Arab Emirates

Celtic

sportsmole.co.uk, 20 August 2021, 14:31
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou hopes to further utilise his knowledge of the J-League to strengthen his squad but feels the January transfer window is the best time to strike.

The former Yokohama Marinos head coach quickly secured the signing of Kyogo Furuhashi after arriving in Glasgow and the Japan forward has netted six goals in his first five starts.

Postecoglou cautioned that there was nobody else quite like his new striker in Japanese football but there are other targets he would like to explore.

"I have been looking at it very closely," the Greek-born Australian said. "I know the Japanese market very well.

"It's a tricky time because traditionally they are still mid-season. There's a lot of players I would love to have a look at closely and bring over but I know it would be almost impossible to get them out because clubs are still playing for the league or cup or (AFC) Champions League competitions. So they are very reluctant to let them go mid-season.

"Traditionally it's always been easier to get them out in our winter break, which is their end of season.

"There's a lot of talent there that people haven't realised.

"It's not to say they are all going to be of Kyogo's level because I was super confident about him. He has dominated that league for the last three or four years. I was surprised he hadn't left earlier to be honest, we were kind of lucky he stuck around for a bit.

"But there is definitely more talent there and it is definitely a market we are looking at closely."

Celtic are still working on more pressing transfer deals, with Legia Warsaw right-back Josip Juranovic and Shamrock Rovers centre-back Liam Scales expected to arrive shortly.

VVV-Venlo have also confirmed that Celtic are interested in their striker, Georgios Giakoumakis, who was the top goalscorer in the Eredivisie last season.

Postecoglou said: "Obviously the clock is ticking, we know when the transfer deadline is and we will be bringing in players before then but we can't say another deal has been done.

"But we are close on a number and hopefully over the coming days we will be able to bed them down and bring them in."

Postecoglou will be able to relieve some of the pressure on the players who featured in Wednesday's Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar with Ryan Christie back in the squad after injury.

Postecoglou will wait to assess who needs a rest most but he is confident there will be no slacking for Saturday's cinch Premiership contest with St Mirren at Parkhead, ahead of next week's second leg in the Netherlands and a trip to Ibrox.

"I would be very surprised if anyone is taking anything for granted," said Postecoglou.

"The world, and the football world in particular, changes pretty quickly and once you take something for granted you will get brought back to earth.

"Look, I haven't sensed that at all with this group. The key thing for us is that they are enjoying their football, they are getting their rewards, and for the most part none of them want to miss out.

"That's a good thing for me but it's also part of the battle, when I ask them how they are feeling they are all buzzing and all want to play but I know there must be a couple who feel a bit sore.

"But when you have that sort of attitude and enthusiasm, it's unlikely they are going to be going in there looking for an easy game. I think they are going in there looking to play our football, improve our football, and make sure we don't stand still at any moment."

Show more

Top News

24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Lithuania vs. Finland (Monday, 5.00pm) Aiming to extend their successful start to World Cup qualifying, Finland will visit Lithuania on Monday evening, for the second game of their Group G campaign. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea will reportedly have to pay a penalty price of £5m if they renege on their obligation to sign Jadon Sancho in the summer transfer window. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly braced for competition from Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Sunderland's Chris Rigg. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Virgil Van Dijk has reportedly decided to end his time at Liverpool, with Paris Saint-Germain touted as a likely destination. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Virgil Van Dijk has reportedly decided to end his time at Liverpool, with Paris Saint-Germain touted as a likely destination. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea must pay Manchester United £5million if they don't sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent deal this summer, talkSPORT understands. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk France dramatically completed a terrific UEFA Nations League comeback over Croatia as they reached the semi-finals with a 5-4 penalty-shootout win following a 2-0 quarter-final second-leg victory and 2-2 aggregate draw at the Stade de France. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal advanced into the UEFA Nations League semi-finals after beating Denmark 5-2 in the second leg at home on Sunday night, winning 5-3 on aggregate after extra time. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Spain booked their spot in the semi-finals of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League courtesy of a penalty-shootout success over the Netherlands on Sunday night, with the two teams finally being separated after two blockbuster contests. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Michael Owen has revealed the formation he would have gone with to unlock the best of England's Golden Generation. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Phil Parkinson says win, lose or draw, Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have his back. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Julian Nagelsmann's Germany scraped into the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League after drawing 3-3 in a dramatic quarter-final second leg against Italy at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday night. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Egypt will aim to make it back-to-back wins in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when they welcome Sierra Leone to the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday for a matchday six encounter. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In-form Ecuador will make the trip to Santiago to face Chile in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday knowing they are within touching distance of reaching the finals. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton have reportedly identified Genoa centre-back Koni De Winter as a potential replacement for Manchester United-linked Jarrad Branthwaite. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo was denied from the penalty spot just six minutes into Portugal's crucial Nations League clash with Denmark. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Alisson Becker, Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes and Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes will all drop out of the Brazil starting lineup for Tuesday's World Cup 2026 qualifying clash against rivals Argentina. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul is pushing to start Tuesday's World Cup 2026 qualifying clash against Brazil in Buenos Aires. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Edin Dzeko has shown off the brutal facial injury he suffered playing for Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Mohamed Salah wants to stay at Liverpool even though he hasn't yet agreed a new deal. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina will look to officially secure their place at World Cup 2026 when they face rivals Brazil in Tuesday's clash at Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Morocco will look to continue their impressive start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they host Tanzania at Stade Municipal on Tuesday. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria have announced their starting lineups for Sunday's fixture in the UEFA Nations League. 23 March 2025 talksport.com It's almost been eight years since Andrea Pirlo retired from football, but he hasn't lost his world-class free-kick abilities. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Malaga's teenage winger Antonio Cordero ahead of the summer transfer window. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly set their asking price for Ferran Torres, with the versatile attacker expected to be on the move during this summer's transfer window. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Steve Bruce has passionately responded to Dwight Gayle after he claimed he 'didn't do tactics' when in charge of Newcastle. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji this summer. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Luka Modric has revealed that he is yet to speak with Real Madrid over his future beyond the end of the campaign.