Giorgos Giakoumakis is the best finisher at Celtic. On the face of it, the prospect of him leaving the club would appear a big blow. But the simple fact is fans have to trust that Ange Postecoglou will have all angles covered. The manager has proven already that he has a terrific eye in the transfer market and, if someone goes, the evidence suggests one better will arrive.
It’s no secret that I am a fan of Giakoumakis. The Greek took a bit of time to settle at the club, but since he got his fitness at the beginning of this year, he has shown great attributes. Putting the ball in back of the net is, obviously, the most important.
Giakoumakis has great movement in the box. He is strong in the air. Kyogo Furuhashi also has a wonderful knack of putting the ball in the net. But, when I compare the two of them, Giakoumakis edges it for me in the natural finishing stakes. As well as that ability to find the right areas in the box, there is so much more to his game.
Holding the ball up front and bringing others into play is a key part of a striker’s job for the team. Especially given the system that Postecoglou plays with two attacking players either side of the frontman, the quality to take it in or drag defenders into areas out of the central positions for team-mates like Jota and Liel Abada to fill and score is impressive.
To put it simply, I think he gives Celtic a focal point to hit in games when they are under pressure. A physical presence they can find if needed. Basically, a different option to Kyogo who is more about playing off the shoulder and running in behind.
The campaign resumes in a fortnight and it should not be forgotten that we are not even at the halfway stage of the Premiership title race yet. Sure, Celtic have a big lead and it is going to be awfully difficult for Rangers and their new manager Michael Beale to pull back the nine-point gap.
But this is not a time for my old club to get weaker. I’m fully aware of the chat from Postecoglou about the way he is going to evolve the squad. When he said at the club’s AGM that fans should not get too close to their heroes because regular movement in and out of the door would be a natural progression for them if they want to improve and get better in the Champions League, that was a signal to many, myself included, that individuals would be moving on in January and replaced.
We know that Japanese defender Yuki Kobayashi is already going to be in the building. We know that Canada right-back Alistair Johnston also looks likely to be there when the window opens. Presumably, that opens an avenue for Josip Juranovic to go at a good profit following his World Cup exploits with Croatia.
Anthony Ralston’s excellent form would cover the departure of Juranovic and give Johnston, much like Greg Taylor’s form did for Alexandro Bernabei, the chance to settle into the club and not be rushed into the line-up immediately. With that in mind, Celtic fans have to believe that Postecoglou is well down the track with a striker and has an upgrade in the pipeline if Giakoumakis is going to be exiting the club.
Look, I’m not privy to the inner goings-on inside the dressing room or the boardroom. I don’t know what is happening with a new contract or anything like that or if something has changed in the background to make it so that the Greek is available for purchase.
But I do know that Postecoglou is a smart individual and he’s not just going to let one of his main attacking weapons walk out of the door unless he has got an ace up his sleeve and a plan already in place and down the line. It’s funny, you often hear about who holds the whip hands in situations between players and clubs.
Mostly, near the end of a contract, it is a player who is in charge of the situation. They can sit tight and run their deals down before leaving on Bosmans. Alternatively, when a player still has a long time remaining on a contract and a situation arises, it is usually the club who holds the cards.
In Giakoumakis’ case, he still has plenty of time left on the contract he signed in the summer of last year. That puts Celtic in charge. But Postecoglou doesn’t strike me as the type who would want anyone around the place who is not 100 percent committed to the job.
He’s said it often enough that, if a player is not happy at Celtic, he can go. The Australian doesn’t seem the type to suffer anyone not on his wavelength or on the same page as everyone else in the dressing room or the club. Look at the World Cup. Postecoglou spent most of his career in Australia. Then he went to Japan. Two countries who have just stunned the world by surging into the last 16 here in Qatar with spirit, team-work and all-for-one mentality which, if supplemented by ability, can do special things against higher-rated opposition.
If it is the case that Giakoumakis is to leave Celtic next month, there is no question in my mind that he would be a big loss. But Postecoglou has filled gaps and found gems to sparkle in his squad from the moment he walked in the front door. Based purely on his track record in Glasgow, it’s hard to imagine this situation would be any different and he won’t have the solution in hand.
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