When Emilio Izaguirre arrived at Celtic from Honduras most people had never seen him play. His new Parkhead team-mate, Mark Wilson, was one of them.
But on his first day at the club Izaguirre made an immediate impression - and that 2010/11 season saw the little left-back crowned Player of the Year in Scotland. If, as expected, Argentine defender Alexandro Bernabei signs for Ange Postecoglou ’s side in the next 24 hours, it will be a similar story. Wilson is praying the 21-year-old can have a major impact, just like Izaguirre.
The former Hoops full-back has only heard positive things about the Lanus star, who is in Glasgow finalising a deal. He’s small but powerful, technically gifted and loves to attack down the flank, which has Wilson excited. He said: “Emilio was fantastic for us. We didn’t know much about him but I remember his first day of training at Lennoxtown, he was doing sprints, box to box and round poles.
“We thought: ‘This boy looks fit as….’ The next question was whether he was good on the ball. And he was. I was actually with somebody on Friday night who has been watching Bernabei for a couple of years.
"He told me he’s a full-back who will bomb on all day long. He’s small, with loads of energy and good on the ball, so it sounds like he ticks every box. I’m a big fan of Greg Taylor. He’s been great but is maybe a wee bit conservative in what Celtic fans want from that position.
"They’ve had Kieran Tierney, who set the bar so high, but Bernabei sounds like he could be similar to him and Izaguirre – and that’s the way Celtic fans want their full-backs to play. There will be real competition at Celtic now in those positions but that’s what being at a big club is all about. Only Ange will know who his starters are going to be.
“You’d think Josip Juranovic will be on the right but can you guarantee that the way Tony Ralston finished the season? On the left I’d imagine Bernabei will go straight in but Ange Postecoglou now has an abundance of riches.”
Wilson saw the opposite of what Izaguirre and Tierney had when he was at Celtic, when Dutch left-back Edson Braafheid arrived on loan from Bayern Munich. He failed to make any kind of impact at Parkhead but, incredibly, went on to play in the 2010 World Cup Final for Holland.
That still baffles Wilson who said: "Nothing against Edson but when I switched on the TV to see him in a World Cup Final I thought: ‘What’s going on here?’ He came with a big reputation and was on a lot of money. He thought he’d walk into the team but had the wrong attitude and didn’t work particularly hard.
“Even for full-backs, the game is possession based now. The modern-day game is all based on attack. Calvin Ramsay, for example, has gone to Liverpool based on his attacking powers, not the defensive side. It didn’t used to be a sexy position, not for me anyway, but I grew to love it. Cafu and Roberto Carlos shaped that sexiness.
“It didn’t catch on here for a long time but it is now. In my day, you just had to stop a winger running at you. I was just a decoy. I would run on the outside so Shunsuke Nakamura could put it in the box and take all the glory! Seriously, I think Bernabei will add excitement on the left for Celtic.”
Bernabei would be their third summer signing after Cameron Carter-Vickers made his loan permanent and Benji Siegrist joined from Dundee United. But Wilson would like to see Postecoglou add a midfield enforcer to his squad to provide what has been missing since ex-skipper Scott Brown left.
He feels Rangers ’ anchor man John Lundstram bossed the Old Firm derbies towards the end of the season and that’s something the Celtic gaffer will want to address. Wilson said: “I think Celtic could do with someone to fill that role, with aggression and physicality.
“That’s taking nothing away from Callum McGregor who is a totally different type of player. In the derby games, Lundstram was particularly strong. I looked and wondered if there was anybody to match up to that. I wonder if Ange will look for someone of that stature.
“I remember Victor Wanyama doing it at Celtic. He wasn’t a Brown, shouting and riling people, but if it kicked off you wanted Victor behind you. On his first day at Celtic I remember thinking he couldn’t control the ball. But it was obviously just nerves because when thrust into a certain environment he controlled things.
“I do think Celtic could do with someone like that because it would release McGregor further up the park. They need to lighten the load on him.”
■ Mark Wilson was speaking at a Papa John’s SPFL event in Glasgow. Papa John’s is the official takeaway and delivery partner of the SPFL, the pizza brand who will give supporters fantastic events and ticket opportunities throughout the 2022/23 SPFL season.
