Ange Postecoglou admits he is in dialogue with Celtic's frozen out stars with the transfer clock ticking as he discussed the latest talk surrounding Giorgos Giakoumakis.
The likes of James McCarthy, Yosuke Ideguchi and Oliver Abildgaard have seen next to no action for the Scottish champions and while the Aussie boss is not forcing players out the club, he admits there needs to be realism about how much game-time they will get. He used the trio as an example of guys who are at an age where the less they play the fewer options they will have.
The transfer window slams shut Tuesday midnight with the club always 'alert' and will assess things if anything comes up. Greek hitman Giakoumakis looks set to leave before then with talk over his future still bubbling in the background. The 57-year-old has not ruled out any further additions both in and out at Celtic as he warned those on the outside looking in, to look at the bigger picture for the sake of their careers.
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He said: “For the guys who are not getting opportunities it really comes down to them and seeing what the best options are. I’m in dialogue with those guys. It’s not about forcing people out but there is a realism in terms of how much opportunity you get to play. If you mention those three guys they are at an age where the less football they play the fewer options they will have.
“They have to assess what’s best for their careers. As I said I’m in dialogue with them and we will see what happens in the last days of the window. If nothing happens then they are still part of our group and we will work with them accordingly. There are still five days to go and we are always alert. If anything comes up we will see what happens."
On the latest with Giorgos Giakoumakis, he added: “There is still speculation around him. There’s nothing concrete but it’s fair to say there is still interest in him. As with all these things there has to be agreement among all parties.
“The player needs to want to go to the destination and we as a football club have to be satisfied that our demands are being met and the interested club need to be happy too. It takes a little bit of time but I am pretty relaxed about it. If it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t he stays part of our group moving forward.
“As he has in the past, I’m sure he will get opportunities to contribute. As we stand right now there are still a few days to go but with all the speculation around him it’s fair to say it’s uncertain.”
On a potential debut for new signing Oh Hyeon-gyu at Dundee United, he continued: “He is training with us. He has had three weeks of pre-season training in Korea but he hasn’t played since November.
"So we need to get some game time into him. I will see how he is. He has trained well but it has been a big week for him physically and emotionally with the move.
" I will assess when is the best time to bring him in. If it’s not the weekend it will definitely be midweek. I’m keen to get him involved.”
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