Cameron Carter-Vickers' name will go down in Celtic folklore following his heroics in Sunday's Old Firm derby triumph. A huge game for both Celtic and Rangers in the title race, Ange Postecoglou's men secured a vital 2-1 win thanks to the centre-back's winner.
The victory at Ibrox has seen the Parkhead club extend their lead over their rivals at the summit to six points, putting them firmly on course to getting their hands on the Scottish Premiership once again. Already making a huge name for himself in Glasgow after flourishing in the team following his summer loan switch from Tottenham, his winner means Carter-Vickers has now secured his place in Celtic's history books after his potential title-deciding strike.
Undoubtedly one of the moments of his career so far, the 24-year-old was quick to play it down when speaking to Sky Sports after the match and instead spoke about the importance of the goal in Celtic's season. He said: "It was a bit lucky probably, it ricocheted off about two or three people, fell to me and I shot. Luckily, it went in. It's a massive goal for our season so we keep going."
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Now on his seventh loan move from Tottenham having been unable to move up the centre-back pecking order with players such as Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier all ahead of him over the years, his latest loan exit looks likely to be his last from Tottenham. Needing a permanent transfer for the sake of his career rather than heading somewhere different season after season, Celtic will be doing all they can to clinch his signature for good.
The Scottish giants do in fact have a clause in their deal to make his move permanent, something which does seem to be a no-brainer for them going on his success at Celtic Park. football.london understands the clause is believed to be £6million, with the fee possibly rising as high as £10m with future add-ons.
Postecoglou did previously confirm back in February that Celtic were about to start talks over deals to make Carter-Vickers' and Jota's loan moves permanent. However, the boss did also indicate at the time that he wouldn't be trying to convince anyone to stay, instead making it clear that the players themselves should know how "special" it is to be a Celtic player.
“It’ll take care of itself. We all live in a romanticised version of life but it usually comes down to what drives the individual," he explained, as reported by the Daily Record. “Finances come into it, and other factors can influence the decision. I’m not going to try and convince anyone to stay.
“If you don’t understand how special it is to be a part of this place, nothing I’m going to say will change that. I know Cam and Jota love representing this l club. They’re contributing right now and that’s all I need to see.”
Reports have also indicated that some Premier League clubs are also keen on a deal for Carter-Vickers going on his form in Scotland. As a permanent exit is likely to come to fruition one way or another this summer, any incoming money will boost Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici's transfer kitty in the process.
Making key additions already with Cristian Romero signed last August and Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski joining from Juventus at the end of the winter market, Conte will be hoping for more of the same from Paratici as he looks for his Spurs side to hit the next level. January did highlight that it's not always about the big-money deals and more about spending money wisely, with Bentancur and Kulusevski already appearing to be transfer bargains going on their start to life in the capital.
The aforementioned fee for Carter-Vickers may not be a huge sum of money in the grand scheme of things going on the eye-watering fees some players move for in today's market, but, most importantly, it can be help Spurs out and be put towards bringing another player in through the door.
Excelling in his previous loan spells with Luton Town and Bournemouth, Carter-Vickers is now showing everyone what he's all about at Celtic and he could be a Champions League player next term providing everything goes to plan for the centre-back and the Scottish club. Already making their feelings crystal clear before his heroics at Ibrox on Sunday, the calls from Celtic fans for Carter-Vickers to join permanently will only increase between now and May after his pivotal role in their success under Postecoglou.
