The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Look who’s in town!
Brown and Simunovic sign new deals ahead of clash with all-star French rivals
The most expensive strikeforce in world football, the PSG triumvirate of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani, arrived in Glasgow last night ahead of the Champions League showdown with Celtic.
Boss Brendan Rodgers revealed his delight after skipper Scott Brown and Jozo Simunovic signed new deals with Celtic on the eve of their Champions League clash with Paris St-Germain.
The Parkhead club confirmed that 32-year-old Scotland captain Brown, who joined the Premiership champions in 2007, has penned a two-year contract which takes him until at least 2019.
Defender Simunovic, 23, who arrived in Glasgow from Dinamo Zagreb in 2015, has penned a four-year deal until the summer of 2021.
Rodgers is preparing for the visit of free-spending all-star French side PSG in their Group B opener where he will have Leigh Griffiths back after a calf injury but will still be without fellow striker Moussa Dembele as he works his way back from a hamstring complaint.
However, he confirmed the boost the Hoops squad will get from two players happy to extend their time at Celtic.
“I am delighted for both,” he said. “Scott has been a great captain here over many years and certainly in the period I have been here, he has consistently played at a very high level.
“We were talking towards the end of last season and it was a case of just getting the Champions League qualification out of the way and hoping to get something agreed.
“So I am absolutely delighted because he is a very important figure for us on and off the field and I have been delighted at his performance level and how tactically he has been playing the game.
“Jozo is a young player that, obviously there was a focus on his injury past, but this is a great arena for him to play and he is in an environment where he needs that development and once he is fit and trains and plays consistently he is an outstanding talent.
“So it is great news for our squad because we are trying to build and create something here.
“A lot of our players now are tying into longer deals, which is great.
“It is a really exciting period and we have one or two others that we will look at to try to ensure the squad remains as stable as possible whilst looking to progress at the same time.”
Last season, Rodgers’ first in charge at Parkhead, Celtic finished bottom of their Champions League section which included Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach with three draws.
This season the Scottish champions have German giants Bayern Munich and Belgian champions Anderlecht also in their group but Paris St-Germain are the side most of Europe is talking about.
The French club were bolstered in the summer with the signings of Brazilian superstar Neymar, who reportedly cost £200.6 million from Barcelona, and 18-year-old French sensation Kylian Mbappe who joined on a season-long loan from Monaco, with an option to make a £166m deal permanent.
Along with Uruguay international Edinson Cavani, who signed from Napoli in 2013 for a fee reported as £55m, PSG bring with them the most expensive front line ever assembled.
Rodgers believes attitude will be key in dealing with a side built to go all the way in the tournament.
“It should be a great spectacle,” said the Northern Irishman
“We worked very hard last year in the league and went through a tough qualification phase and this is the competition that we wanted to be in.
“In these types of games attitude is everything.
“They are put together to win this competition, there is no question about that. If you stand off top class players they will show you why they are top class.
“I am also looking forward to seeing us play on the counter attack as well because this is a level where you have to stay calm. “A positive start is what we want.” Rodgers also said he was “glad” but not surprised that the prospect of a ban for Brown has not materialised.
There was speculation that the skipper could be in trouble after appearing to flick a boot at the face of Hamilton defender Giannis Skondras during the 4-1 league win on Friday but it is understood that the SFA’s compliance officer Tony McGlennan has decided no complaint will be raised.