OLIVIER NTCHAM has wanted a move away from Celtic for a long time. He got his wish in January when the club loaned him out to Marseille for the second half of last season.
The move was a disaster for the midfielder who rarely played and was a reason for the manager leaving the club shortly after his arrival.
After all the speculation this summer, Ntcham came back to Celtic training, much to many peoples surprise.
Speaking a week ago Ange Postecoglou told SunSport:
“I had chats with him [Olivier Ntcham] and he said he wanted to come back and make an impression this year.
“I take that at face value. He has been good at training.
“He is lacking a bit of match touch and fitness but he is part of the squad and hopefully he can make an impact this year.”
Fast forward to this week; the player hasn’t been included in Celtic’s Euro squad.
Ajer is not in the squad because he’s on the verge of a move out of the club. So far, there’s not been much talk of Oli leaving.
Asked yesterday about why Ntcham was not on the registered list of players, Ange told Celtic TV on youtube:
“I am picking players who are available and have both the physical and mental mindset to play,”
“The ones who aren’t listed are obviously not ready for what we need to encounter tomorrow night. My focus is on the guys who are on that list. There are so many moving parts at the moment that I am trying to be as disciplined as I can to focus on what’s in my control because ultimately tomorrow night is the most important thing and I am focusing on people who are contributing to that.”
You could say Ntcham isn’t fit enough yet, BUT, Christopher Jullien has been entered into the squad and he’s not scheduled to return from injury further down the line.
Has Ange Postecoglou seen through the midfielder?
The Australian manager has his work cut out for him in Glasgow and he’s making sure anybody who plays for this club is with him. Anybody who doesn’t buy in will find themselves on the outside looking in.
Edouard is in the squad and while we expect him to go, Ange must feel he can trust the Frenchman to help him do the business.
I think Celtic fans want to see the back of Ntcham at this point as much as Oli wants to see the back of Celtic.
