Giakoumakis calls on Jota to commit future to Parkhead club
Celtic striker would love to team up once again with Portuguese winger as fans’ favourite weighs up options
SUNNING himself on a Spanish island this week, Jota lends an impression of being the person who is least concerned about his long-term future. The on-loan Benfica winger has yet to decide what next season will hold for him after a successful campaign in Glasgow during which he firmly endeared himself to the support as well as his team-mates.
Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis is the latest to add his voice to the chorus of those who have urged the 23-year-old to set up permanent home in Scotland.
Celtic have a £6.5m buy-out clause in place for the winger who has been circumspect about his long-term future throughout the last six months. The reality, of course, is that if a club from the English Premier League were to offer him a deal Celtic would struggle to compete in terms of salary offers.
“I have told him already,” said the Greek forward. “When we were out there celebrating [last weekend] I said: ‘I wish you to stay here because we really need you’.”
The only such ambiguity about Giakoumakis next season is just where he plays. The Greek forward had an inauspicious start to his Celtic career but rounded off the season with two goals against Motherwell that took him to joint top scorer in the cinch Premiership this season.
Kyogo Furuhashi remains the first choice forward when fit and the expectation is that if the little Japanese playmaker stays fit for the entirety of the season then 30 goals would not be beyond him.
There is a tantalising question about how both could be shoehorned into Celtic’s starting XI – Ange Postecoglou has never gone with a traditional front two pairing at any of the clubs he has managed – with Giakoumkais intent on furthering his goal scoring stats.
“I am [happy to be joint top scorer] because I had a really difficult first six months,” the Greek striker said.
“The first part of the season was not what I expected. I had an injury. I had a lack of pre-season. And so I didn’t play that much. To end as the top scorer in the league is something really important for me. I’m really happy with that and I wish we had 10 minutes more – because I don’t like to share!
“Whenever we start the season I always pray to God to be healthy so I can be fit and
I have told him already [last week]: ‘I wish you to stay here because we really need you
be myself. If I can be myself I can score a lot of goals and help the team. I have never had a particular number in mind. Every single game, whether I start or not, I want to score.
“That’s my target. I hope that next season I can score many more than I do this year.
“Last season I went home in the summer to spend my holidays and I was not happy. I was top scorer in the league and I knew I would probably have a transfer but I wasn’t happy. So this year I’m top scorer with goals that helped to win the title. Now I feel that this is complete and I wish to do it again next year.”
Postecoglou signed 16 players for Celtic across the two transfer windows that he had available to him. The majority of those arrivals have all made impacts at firstteam level with Giakoumakis revealing just how important the Greek-Australian’s manmanagement has been over the course of the campaign.
“When I was about to sign with Celtic I had offers but I needed to think about everything,” he said. “You cannot deny this club but you have think about every part when making your choice. We had a chat and straight away he convinced me that I had to come here. He was right – I did have to come here.
“When I was injured I was putting some pressure on myself because I had not yet proved myself here. He just said to me that I needed to stay calm, keep believing in myself and that whenever I came back I would be crucial for the team.”
The reward for winning this season’s title is automatic
entry into the group stage of the Champions League next season. It will afford Celtic multi-layered benefits, the most obvious of which is the financial bounty it delivers to the club as well as the attractive proposition for potential signings and, like Jota, those considering their futures at the club.
It also allows a prolonged break for the players as well as planning without question marks over the summer.
“I have already experienced that feeling with AEK Athens and it was incredible,” said Giakoumakis. “It was something unbelievable but I think playing Champions League, listening to that anthem in this stadium is going to be massive. I can’t wait.”
The Greek striker didn’t just ruffle a few defensive feathers this season, either. His comments that Celtic were the best team in the league caused a stir back in February with the striker delighted to have found himself vindicated.
“It’s a big satisfaction for me,” he said. “Just to make clear I did not want at any time to offend someone. I didn’t want to have a fight with someone or say something spicy. I just said what I was thinking about my team and tried to be honest. Thank God we are the winners!
It’s something I expected to happen because we have played the best football in the league in most of the games. So now we enjoy what we did over the year.”