Celtic legend Charlie Nicholas feels the Scottish Premiership giants might have dodged a bullet after losing transfer target Riley McGree to Middlesbrough, speaking to the Daily Express.
For a while at least, it seemed only a matter of time before Ange Postecoglou would be reunited at Parkhead with a man he handed a debut for the Australia national team five years ago.
That was, of course, until Middlesbrough threw their hat into the ring.
A play-off chasing Boro side pipped Celtic to the post last week. They completed a deal for McGree that could rise to around £4.5 million (Athletic).
The technically-gifted 23-year-old returns to the Championship from MLS newcomers Charlotte FC, having turned plenty of heads during an impressive loan spell at Birmingham City.
Will Celtic regret missing out on Riley McGree?
There are few no doubts about McGree’s talent. He was nominated for the prestigious Puskas Award back in 2018 after all.
But Nicholas feels that the Aussie’s attitude, rather than his ability, may be a cause for concern.
“A lot of people are asking why Riley McGree would pick Middlesbrough over Celtic. It looks like the player got greedy. Money is simply more important to him at this stage in his career,” claims the two-time Scottish Premiership champion.
“Celtic could have signed McGree and, 12 or 18 months down the line, he could well have been agitating for another move.
“Celtic wouldn’t have found out the lad’s character had they not been involved in this transfer saga. So maybe it has worked out in their favour.
“I liked the way Postecoglou dealt with the McGree transfer setback. He made it clear that he is only interested in dealing with players who want to be at Parkhead.
“It was a thinly-veiled dig at his young compatriot. Postecoglou said he had spoken to McGree himself. And it looked like he had got assurances from the lad that he was coming.”
Nicholas also questions why Celtic would need another attacking midfielder in the first place. Especially with David Turnbull set to return from an injury lay-off in the near future.
It must be said, however, that Postecoglou has been forced to field Turnbull and a revitalised Tom Rogic in nearly every game this season.
That is because of a lack of back-up options for the number eight role.
The hope will be that Reo Hatate, a January arrival from Kawasaki Frontale, will allow Postecoglou to rotate his midfield three more frequently between now and May.
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