Brendan Rodgers concedes he’ll probably lose the Celtic star at some point.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has admitted to The Scottish Sun that he is powerless to keep Olivier Ntcham at Parkhead in the long term.
The 22-year-old midfielder put a line under the speculation regarding his future by signing a new contract at Celtic earlier this month.
That follows a summer transfer window which saw the Frenchman being linked with a £14 million move away, with West Ham and Porto reportedly keen.
Ntcham saw his friend Moussa Dembele leave the Hoops in September, and Rodgers admits to being worried that the departure could also lead to Ntcham questioning his future in Glasgow.
For now, the former Manchester City youth, a £4.5 million signing by Rodgers 18 months ago, seems happy at Celtic, but the Bhoys boss admits it’s probably only a matter of time before he follows Dembele in leaving the club.
He told The Scottish Sun: “We told him that at some point he will probably go as well, but it’s important that he becomes the best player he can be.
“Oli still felt there was improvements to make and it’s great that we have tied him down.
“You’re always a wee bit worried that when someone like Moussa Dembele leaves, Ntcham — who is close to him — might think about leaving too.
“Moussa was someone I spoke to during the process of bringing Oli here because he was able to tell him everything that was happening at Celtic. So when he lost his mate, there might have been an initial bit of flatness, which is natural.”
It’s not quite a defeatist attitude from Rodgers as it is a realistic one. Chances are, Ntcham will leave Celtic long before he ever reaches his peak. Like Dembele, there is a certain inevitability about him ultimately moving on, but hopefully the Hoops can get a lot out of him before then.
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