RIGHT TIME RIGHT REPLACE
Celts boss has already found stars to fill the boots of aces Rogic & Bitton
MATT O’RILEY and Reo Hatate gave emphatic tasters of what they can provide this season.
Unfortunately, Yosuke Ideguchi didn’t really get the chance but these three January arrivals have got huge boots to fill at Celtic.
And I’d be surprised if Ange Postecoglou doesn’t dip into the midfield market again this summer to further offset the losses of Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton.
The bare facts tell you what a huge void has been left by the Aussie and the Israeli.
Combined service of over 18 years and 34 winners’ medals. There’s entire squads who don’t have those numbers, never mind just two players.
Rogic and Bitton got the send-offs they deserved on that final Premiership afternoon against Motherwell.
Postecoglou’s transfer deals at the beginning of the year would suggest he’d a fair idea the pair of them were departing. Either that or you can add seeing around the corners to the list of the Aussie’s talents.
He’ll know as well as anyone that there’s no point in trying to replace Rogic. You couldn’t replace a player like that. Just as Callum McGregor couldn’t replace Scott Brown.
The old captain was a one-off. McGregor is not the same type and had to do it his way. He’s done it magnificently.
In the same manner, O’Riley won’t be another Rogic, but he’s already shown he’s got talents operating in that advanced area of the engine room.
The Denmark Under-21 ace has a delightful touch, he can pick a pass and can finish. He’s also got a dead-ball delivery that Rogic didn’t have, which is one upgrade on the Aussie.
O’Riley may also have a bigger engine than footballing Rolls-Royce Rogic, so there’s hope there that he can do it.
When it comes to replacing Bitton, it’s worth noting that he wasn’t a first pick. Not a regular starter. It’s an easier shift.
Looking at Ideguchi’s CV, he looks the one who is being earmarked to fulfil that task.
The Japanese has not as yet had an opportunity to show anyone what he’s made of as he was just settling into the squad when he suffered a bad injury on that rough night in Alloa. That made him a spectator for the rest of the campaign, apart from a few sub outings.
With a rest and full pre-season under his belt, we’ll get a better idea soon enough.
In some ways, you can say the same for Hatate. The kid looked dynamite in his opening few matches, but shaded badly. That’s forgivable. He’s a young lad in a new country for the first time who started his season 17 months ago in the J-League.
Hatate said he was seeing double against Rangers due to fatigue, so we’ll get a true sense of his value when he’s had his holidays. He’s got touch, vision and goals against Hearts and Rangers showed his prowess.
If he can match a vibrant energy and box-to-box running with those talents, Ange has got a future star on his hands.
It may also be a crossroads for David Turnbull. The Scot played a key part before O’Riley and Hatate signed. He carried a big burden and delivered but paid the price for a tough schedule with an injury in the Premier Sports Cup Final.
That let O’Riley and Hatate jump above him in the pecking order. Turnbull scored against Well to offer a reminder of what he can do but McGregor starts every game if fit. That leaves two midfield places up and, to my eye, they’re owned by O’Riley and Hatate. James McCarthy was about the only signing who didn’t shine and he faces a fight. No pre-season and a few niggles played a part so maybe with a summer of training he can still play a part. It’s going to be fascinating to see how Postecoglou goes about tweaking and improving the squad over the next few weeks. EXHAUSTED Reo Hatate