Celtic’s New Boy Sounds Like He Means Business And He’s More Than Up For The Battle.

I watched the interview with our new signing yesterday and I was very impressed by his attitude and by his determination to come here and do well. It’s always great when you sign someone whose optimism is obvious from the minute he opens his mouth.

The clips of him being shown around the place were especially good; he looked like a kid walking into a room full of Christmas presents.

None of that would be worth a damn if this kid wasn’t also a very good player, and I know for sure that Celtic didn’t just see this boy during the World Cup but have been monitoring him for quite some time. The World Cup was the moment that we realised other clubs would suddenly be taking note as well, and so we moved. We moved fast.

What we probably didn’t know until he spoke yesterday is that he can play in a back three as well as at right back. This is interesting for a number of reasons, the most important of which is that this kid might not necessarily be a replacement for Juranovic.

At the very least, he went out of his way yesterday to say that his arrival is not a precursor to the big guy going. Presumably that’s something he has spoken to the boss about, and that means that talk of the Croatian going in this window might be premature.

The kid talks as if he’s got the right level of aggression for the game here.

“Nothing’s going to be given, everything’s going to be earned. We’re trying to play a certain way. They want to bring in some young talented players that have an edge to them. I think I fit that mould but the other two right-backs do as well. I’m someone that just loves to defend. Love to defend, live for it. It’s no joke the Celtic fans nearly broke my phone. Just the outpouring of love has been pretty crazy. That doubled up with being in a World Cup at the same time was a really just crazy time in my life. Super excited to get here. Everyone’s been so warm and welcoming. It’s been a pretty unique and special welcome, I’d say. It was a match made in heaven for me. When Celtic came calling for me, it was a pretty easy decision.”

He’s confident. He’s here to play, not to sit around. He might have to wait for his chance – most players who come here now know they aren’t going to go right into the team – but he sounds possessed of self-belief, even if he did look like someone who had walked into the Wonka Factory and still couldn’t believe his eyes.

This kind of enthusiasm is great to see, and I’m looking forward to watching him.