Celtic are set to sign Manchester City midfielder Olivier Ntcham.
Celtic are set to sign Manchester City midfielder Olivier Ntcham – and Brendan Rodgers will have to attempt to get the best out of him after a frustrating spell with Genoa.
The Bhoys have already tied up deals for midfielder Kundai Benyu and winger Jonny Hayes, but manager Rodgers is pursing further deals.
Olivier Ntcham in action for Genoa
BBC Sport report that Celtic have agreed a £4.5million deal to sign Manchester City midfielder Olivier Ntcham, and he underwent a medical with the Bhoys over the weekend.
Ntcham, 21, joined City from Le Havre back in 2012, but has yet to make his debut for the club, and spent two years out on loan at Genoa.
Last term, Ntcham started just ten Serie A games as he struggled to feature under manager Ivan Juric, with the Croatian failing to get the best out of him.
In fact, Juric told Primo Canale in December 2016 that he felt he ‘failed’ with Ntcham, as he has all the attributes to be a star, but he couldn’t get him playing to the best of his ability with Genoa.
“I see it as my failure, with him I could not do a good job,” said Juric. “It’s a guy who has all the characteristics to do well, but failed to get them out,” he added.
Manchester City’s Olivier Ntcham (L) in action
With City letting him go and Genoa feeling frustrated, it suggests that manager Rodgers may face something of a challenge in getting the best out of Ntcham, a physically and technically impressive midfielder who can play as a box-to-box player or even further forward.
With a history of getting the best out of young players – such as Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling at Liverpool as well as Celtic’s Kieran Tierney, Stuart Armstrong and Moussa Dembele – Rodgers should feel confident that he can succeed where Juric failed in getting the best out of Ntcham.
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