Ange Postecoglou planning Celtic raid on 'fantastic talents' in Asian and South American markets

New Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has revealed he will target the Asian and South American market as he looks to rebuild the Parkhead squad.

New Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou plans to cast his recruitment net far and wide as he reshapes the squad he has inherited. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The Australian believes his previous experience of coaching players from those regions, including in his most recent job in Japan at Yokohama Marinos, would help overcome any difficulties they faced in adapting to life on and off the pitch in Glasgow.

“Working on that side of the world, you had to be fairly open minded about where we took players from,” said Postecoglou.

“There is some fantastic talent in Asia, there is some fantastic talent in South America.

“Most definitely, that is one of the areas that I want to focus on (in terms of recruitment).

“But I think what will make it a good bit easier for the people working in those areas is the fact that we will have an identity and a clear idea of what kind of football we are trying to play and that narrows it down.

“We will search far and wide, but again those are the kind of challenges we have.

“If you are talking about bringing a player from far and wide, like South America or Asia, there are quarantine restrictions with covid.

“It’s not just about flying in a player. It has taken me what feels like an eternity to get here so all those things are what we are talking about and what we need to look at.

“I understand it is a big cultural challenge (for players coming here). It’s not just football, it’s living here and the differences in the culture. Especially from, say, a culture like Japan which is very distinctive in their culture.

“But I understand that. So if we get players from that side of the world or South America, then fine.

“Yokohama had five Brazilians in the team who were all very successful under me. I understand their mentality so I think that helps, for sure”.

Postecoglou’s immediate priority is to establish the status of the incumbent players in the squad he has inherited, including Australian international playmaker Tom Rogic.

The 28-year-old has two years left on his contract at Celtic but has been troubled by injuries throughout his time at the club. He started just 14 games last season but Postecoglou is hopeful he can reignite the career of a player who worked under him during his time in charge of the Australian national squad.

“Tom is one I am keen to have a good chat with,” he added. “He knows me from the international team and he has had some challenges with his body obviously.

“But there is no doubt about Tommy’s talent.

“To be fair, that’s probably the one area I am really keen to get stuck into – to get around all the players. I have had two days and one half of that at Lennoxtown taking training sessions.

“I want to sit down with them all and just get a feel for where they are at.”

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