If we had a penny for every time Celtic and Middlesbrough went head-to-head for a talented Australian playmaker this year we’d have, erm, two pence. Which isn’t much. But it’s weird that it’s happened twice.
And if Boro won the first battle – with the Championship outfit snatching Riley McGree from under Ange Postecoglou’s nose – now it’s Celtic’s turn to secure the bragging rights.
According to Sky Sports, Middlesbrough held talks with free-agent Aaron Mooy. The well-travelled midfielder is set to reunite with his former Socceroos boss north of the border instead, however, with Celtic on the verge of making the former Huddersfield Town, Brighton and Manchester City man their fifth signing of the summer (Scottish Sun).
“Aaron’s a fantastic footballer, somebody I know really well,” Postecoglou said last week of a man who should replace another Aussie, Tom ‘the Wizard of Oz’ Rogic, at Parkhead.
“He’s a good player. A very talented player.”
Celtic beat Middlesbrough to Australia ace Aaron Mooy
According to EuroSport, Postecoglou actually made Mooy his number one midfield target during the summer of 2021.
The 52-cap dynamo – once labelled ‘amazing’ by none other than Pep Guardiola – was still under contract at Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai Port at the time. 12 months on, he is free from those constraints, having terminated his deal in the Far East.
The Sun add that Mooy, who made his senior league debut at St Mirren over a decade ago, is now back in Scotland with his family as he awaits his next move.
And while the prospect of Premier League football at Middlesbrough proved too good for McGree to turn down – Boro boss Chris Wilder has a remarkable record when it comes to guiding teams to promotion after all – Mooy obviously feels he has unfinished business as far as the Scottish Premiership is concerned.
“Me and Ange did have a conversation,” the £5 million McGree told The Age, explaining why he snubbed Parkhead for the Riverside.
“At the end of the day, it’s my career, and I strongly believe I did what’s best for me.”
“Playing in the Premier League is obviously the end goal for the club. And for me, it would be a dream. All these things tied into one was the reason I chose to go Middlesbrough.”
Of course, things could still work out perfectly for everyone involved. McGree may be the driving force behind Wilder’s latest promotion charge. Mooy, meanwhile, will soon be playing Champions League football under a coach who knows and trusts him.
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