Ntcham aims to enjoy good times... for now

HAVING played a pivotal role in Celtic retaining ownership of three domestic trophies last season, Olivier Ntcham scarcely required confirmation of his growing reputation as a footballer of some substance.

Were there any lingering doubts rattling about in the mind of the French midfielder, strong suggestions that Porto were prepared to pay £14million for his services soon flushed them out.

‘I’m happy when I hear that,’ said the 22-year-old. ‘It means that I had been doing great work. I felt as though I had a great last season and it was like winning a trophy for me to hear this, so I was pleased with that.’

If such tidings didn’t exactly fill the hearts of the Celtic support with joy, news that the former Manchester City player has put pen to paper on a contract extension until 2022 will assuredly have done so.

Whether or not the player sees it out is another matter, of course. But for the foreseeable future, his mind is very much in Glasgow.

‘I’m happy to have this situation completed,’ added Ntcham. ‘We started to speak about this possibility of signing a new deal in the summer when I came back after the break. We made the decision to sign a new contract.

‘Afterwards, that took a bit of time, but in the end it happened, so I’m happy about that.’

He wouldn’t be human if the ongoing speculation surrounding a possible move to Portugal hadn’t affected him in some way.

Although he was imperious and scored in the win over Rangers, the consensus around that time was his levels had dipped.

‘When the market was closed, we spoke about that (interest from Porto),’ explained Ntcham.

‘The manager, myself, my agent and the club all spoke and we decided to have a talk to sign the new deal. It wasn’t difficult for me to concentrate because I am just focused on the pitch.

‘What happens away from the pitch is for my agent and for my family to talk about. If you start to think about other things and not focus 100 per cent, your mind does not fix on the pitch.’ The departure of Moussa Dembele was the loss of more than a teammate and a compatriot. The pair were friends and confidants.

‘When I signed for Celtic, I spoke with Moussa,’ said Ntcham.

‘He told me that it was good to come to Celtic to play in the games, to score some goals and to win some trophies.

‘Since I have got here, I have seen that and I have been happy.

‘I miss him, he was my friend, but we stay in touch and he is pleased for me that I have agreed this deal to stay at Celtic.

‘It’s good to have the other French-speaking boys around the club, even though it’s not the case that we are always together.’

The hamstring injury which will keep him sidelined until after the international break aside, his current contentment isn’t just restricted to his team rediscovering their most formidable form.

‘I am happy with life in Scotland,’ added Ntcham (right). ‘I enjoy everything, well maybe apart from the food. But it says everything that when I sign a new deal, it shows my mind and thinking is here.’

The displays of those who have stepped up to the plate in his absence have offered much food for thought.

If Callum McGregor’s prowess on the front foot was well known, his ability to acquit himself in the holding role has been remarkable. And, in Ryan Christie, Brendan Rodgers has a player who suddenly looks born to play for the club.

‘The midfielders who have come in to the team have done a great job,’ added Ntcham. ‘That helps everyone else to keep pushing and improving.

‘The win over Leipzig showed everybody that we can compete in the Europa League. I know that to get back into the team, my level will need to be very high.’

A France Under-21 regular, recent interest from Cameroon, the country of his parents’ birth, is a problem of all the right kind.

With the Under-21 European Championships taking place in Italy in the summer, Ntcham has good reason to stick with Les Bleus. Yet when Clarence Seedorf, the Cameroon manager, comes calling with the hosting of the 2019 African Cup of Nations on his mind, it is not a time for making hasty decisions.

‘Is it a decision from the heart or the head? Both,’ mused Ntcham. ‘I am with France and we have a competition next summer, so I am focused on that. ‘My parents are both from Cameroon but they haven’t said anything to me about it. It is my decision.

‘My friends and family all have an opinion on the situation but I don’t want to say what it is.’