Ange Postecoglou has given some great insight into his transfer process at Celtic. The Hoops manager’s hit rate when it comes to transfers is very high, but what makes it so good?
There’s no big secrets involved, for the Celtic boss, information is king. However, when there are three similar players in front of home he could potentially sign, it comes down to his own gut.
Postecoglou told Football Scotland: “Every decision I make, I try and flood myself with as much information as possible. What I am good at is sifting out what is useful and what is not but I have always relied on information.
“Ultimately it comes down to a judgement because you could have three players and there is not much difference between them in terms of qualities and then it comes down to my experience and my judgement.
“But before we get to that stage information for me is everything and not just around transfers but every decision I make.”
“When I start a starting XI people make their judgements but they have a tenth of the information I have when I make that decision.
“Maybe if they had all the information I had then they would come to the same conclusion.
“You need to have good people around you and a good scouting network and a good recruiting area which we have now with Mark Lawwell. They do all that work in terms of gathering information and then we make that decision.”
Mark Lawwell came into the club in an official capacity during the summer, but CeltsAreHere have been told be a reliable source, Mark has been advising Celtic for quite some time in an unofficial capacity.
It was Mark who put his dad, Peter Lawwell onto Ange Postecoglou in the first place. Mark Lawwell worked with City group who own Ange’s former side Yokohama Marino’s. It’s more than likely Ange wouldn’t have been here without the new head scouts intervention.
Data driven information is the key to successful recruitment nowadays. Nothing can have a 100% hit rate, but you put yourself in a great position for the team to succeed if you put in the work behind the scenes. Couple with Ange’s instincts and we’re onto a winner.
The bhoys are currently in Australia ready to take part in the Sydney Cup. A tournament to up Celtic’s exposure in the country and keep the players fit during the World Cup break.
The bhoys will then fly to a training camp in Portugal where they’ll take part in a mini pre-season ahead of the football starting back on December 17. Celtic are due to play French side Rennes during the camp in Portugal.
The club is in a great position in the league. The Hoops sit nine points clear at the top of the SPFL after their great run of form between the two international breaks. The Champions League didn’t pan out the way we wanted but we were competitive in many of the games before naivety and lack of killer instinct saw our opponents take advantage.
Transfer plans for January are already in place. We expect movement in the next four weeks both with incomings and outgoings. Fringe players will be on the chopping block, but Celtic know some of their top talent might be the subject of interest when the window opens. It’s why a Ange wants to look two or three windows ahead to make sure they’re not caught cold by any particular player leaving the club.
Celtic fans know themselves that guys like a Jota and Matt O’Riley won’t be here forever. It’s about enjoying their talents while at the club and making sure we benefit financially when the time comes to move them on.
