Celtic target more January signings as Ange Postecoglou warns Michael Nicholson to expect a busy Christmas

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will continue to push for further additions in the January transfer window as he remains relaxed about the possibility Josip Juranovic will leave.

The Scottish champions have already signed off on deals for Japanese central defender Yuki Kobayashi and Canadian right-back Alastair Johnston, but the 57-year-old isn’t necessarily finished there. “We’re still working on a few things. Whether they will happen or not, we will see,” said the Celtic manager, before joking: “If I feel something is there that will make us stronger then, as much as Michael [Nicholson, chief executive] and Chris [McKay, chief financial officer] may want to have a quiet Christmas, I’m going to keep them working over that time and keep them on their toes.

“We’re still working on things. [There are] no guarantees, but we’ve not even hit January yet, so we’ll see how things transpire. But it’s great to get Alistair and Yuki in. They have a couple of weeks to settle before they are available [on January 1] and we’ll see what else transpires over the next few weeks.”

Torino, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have been credited with stepping up interest in Juranovic following the Croatian’s strong showings helping his nation reach the World Cup semi-final. But Postecoglou doesn’t seem to be bracing himself for the loss of the 27-year-old, who will miss the third-place play off game with Morroco on Saturday with a calf injury but should be available for his club’s trip east to face Hibs on December 28.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou during a training session at Lennoxtown on Friday. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

“I don’t even think about it,” he said. “I hope all of our players are getting the attention because it means we have good players here. From my perspective, I think all our boys [Daizen Maeda, Aaron Mooy and Cameron Carter-Vickers the others] did really well at the World Cup and that’s a reflection of how they are developing at our football club. I think that is the most important thing. I’m sure a lot of our players are getting attention and will continue to get attention and that’s what we want: clubs looking at our players, people talking about our football club. I think they are all positive.”

Meanwhile, the Celtic manager refuses to fuss himself over reports the club are seeking to sell Giorgos Giakoumakis as a result of talks on an improved deal for the Greek striker breaking down. “What I deal with is what I see every day,” the Australian said. “He’s here, he’s training well, he’s contributing and I’m not really sure of anything beyond that. It’s not really on my radar.”