Celtic more than matched Everton in their Sydney Super Cup tie on Sunday.
In fact, the Scottish champions were dominant for much of the game.
The Toffees prevailed victorious from the game thanks to a penalty shootout victory over the Hoops after the 0-0 stalemate in Australia.
Despite the eventual defeat, which spelled an end to Celtic’s visit Down Under, several of the club’s players proved they could play against Premier League opposition.
As would be expected after such a result, and in general with the club’s red hot form this season following on from their title win last term, Premier League interest will no doubt exist in some of their top performers.
Josip Juranovic is one who appears certain to be sold for huge money in the coming transfer windows, with contract talks stalling between the club ad the Croatian international.
There’s no doubt that interest in some of Celtic’s other top players will follow too.
While Ange Postecoglou was delighted to see his team compete against a tough level of opposition, he hopes to be able to hold on to some of his best stars for a decent length of time.
Asked if he felt four or five of his players could hold their own in the EPL, he replied: “That’s not for me to judge. I certainly don’t want them to go at the moment.
“Again, that’s part of who we want to be as a football club. I said a few weeks ago, all these things need to be designed to be stronger every year. We can’t plateau. We can’t just be a dominant team in our own backyard. We want to be more than that.
“To do that all these other things are important because that’s how we bridge the gaps and have an advantage over other clubs who don’t have this access to worldwide exposure.”
On the trip back home itself, Postecoglou loved every minute of it.
The Aussie insists it would’ve been easy to allow for his players to get some extra rest over the international break.
However, he reckons the benefits of exposure on another corner of the globe will work wonders for the club, both for its reputation and its finances.
He said: “It’s been great. Obviously, there’s been the stuff about this being some kind of homecoming, but that was a little bit of a sidebar to what’s really important.
“The passion the supporters have for this football club from the other side of the world is just brilliant to see. I am well aware of it, but for the players to see it then if they didn’t get it before they would now. They’ve gone halfway around the world and the passion exists everywhere.
“That gives the players even more of a feeling they are part of something really special. It’s good for our club. There are not many clubs that can travel and get this kind of support. It’s an important part of who we are and we need to keep growing the club.
“The more we visit these places and give a little back, we’ll get in return in spades.
“We know the financial disparity that exists between us and the teams we want to compete with, particularly in Europe. Everything we can do commercially to make this club stronger is the more revenue we generate.
“The club don’t put the money in the bank, it’s about making the club stronger. I’m all for these kinds of things that make our club stronger – because that’s how we bridge the gap.
“There are plenty of clubs that have a stronger financial base than us but don’t have the worldwide support that we do. Why not tap into it?”
