Celtic are poised to sign Ajax Cape Town’s Rivaldo Coetzee.
Ajax Cape Town defender Rivaldo Coetzee has told Soccer Laduma in his native South Africa that he cannot believe he is on the verge of signing for Celtic.
After landing Olivier Ntchma and Kundai Benyu to boost his midfield options and Jonny Hayes to provide width, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has been looking for a new centre back to solidify his defence.
With Dedryck Boyata and Erik Sviatchenko both injured, midfielder Kristoffer Ajer and Nir Bitton have been forced to play at centre back; hardly an ideal situation, as seen in tonight’s 4-3 defeat to Astana, which was still enough to send Celtic through to the Champions League group stage.
Recent speculation has suggested that Celtic are keen on Ajax Cape Town’s Rivaldo Coetzee, and the South African confirmed on their Twitter account on Monday evening that a deal has been struck for the defender to join the Bhoys.
The 20-year-old centre back has not only been a first-team regular with Ajax Cape Town over the last three years, but he already has 23 caps for South Africa to his name, and looks set for a huge future.
With his move to Celtic expected to be completed later this week, Coetzee has spoken about his switch back in South Africa, admitting to Soccer Laduma that it’s ‘amazing’ for him to be joining a club playing in the Champions League this season.
Coetzee, who stands at just 5ft 10in tall but has great pace and ability on the ball, has admitted that he believes Celtic are the right club at the right time for him, as he believes Celtic suit him perfectly having watched footage with a Celtic scout.
Coetzee added that representative Michael Makaab told him of Rodgers’ interest, his reaction was one of disbelief, as it’s every player’s dream to play in the Champions League; now, Coetzee can do just that once his move to Celtic is complete.
“For me to come from where I come from and have the chance on that stage… It’s amazing,” said Coetzee. “I’m over the moon,” he told the Siya crew today. “It’s something that I’ve always worked towards since I joined Ajax, and now it’s happened. I think that it’s the right time and the right club. I met with the Celtic scout, and he showed me some videos about the club, supporters and facilities. I think it’s the best option because the coach believes in youngsters and the type of football they play, coming out of the back, suits me nicely.”
“I don’t think that I need to work on anything physically, I think my body is right the way it is. It’s not about being physical, sometimes you need to be a bit more aggressive but I’m not really that kind of player. I’m just going to go there and play my football, that’s why they’ve signed me. The coach will advise me on what I need to work on. When Michael told me that Celtic was interested and I knew that Brendan Rodgers was the coach, I couldn’t believe it… It’s every footballer’s dream to play in the Champions League, and I have the opportunity to do that now. It’s up to me to make full use of it,” he added.
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