Journalist Craig Swan has issued an update on the situation of Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham recently, amid interest from Southampton.
Swan was recently a guest on the latest episode of the Record Celtic Podcast and it also had Liam Bryce and Celtic legend Chris Sutton as panel members. While talking about many issues surrounding the Parkhead club, Swan was asked about Ntcham and he delivered some updates on the situation of the midfielder.
This comes after the Scottish Sun had talked about Southampton’s interest in signing Ntcham. It was reported that the Saints are looking to sign Ntcham in a deal which could send Fraser Forster to Parkhead.
While talking about Ntcham, though, Swan revealed that the Saints remain interested in the former Manchester City man.
He said: “Southampton always keep a close eye on players up here and they do have a contact watching Celtic players. They have had great success with it.”
Can Celtic afford to sell Ntcham?
Yes, we should sell him
No, he adds quality depth
“Whether Ntcham is going to be factored into any deal or anything like that – I don’t really know. I don’t know if that would be a tool that they would try and use.
“But if you’re asking me, do I think are Southampton interested in Olivier Ntcham? Then yeah, I think they are. But if it’s a part of it [Forster deal], I don’t know.”
While Swan isn’t aware of whether the Saints will actually make a move for Ntcham and if he will be part of the Forster deal, he seems confident that the interest is certainly there.
The fact that he mentions how Southampton keep a “close eye” on Celtic shows that they might indeed be looking at Ntcham.
TIF Thoughts…
The report from the Scottish Sun had revealed that Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has been tracking Ntcham for ‘months’ and the Frenchman is still seen as a ‘realistic’ target by the club. Ntcham has been linked with a move to West Ham United as well as Southampton in recent months as well.
Ntcham contributed to 12 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions in the 2019/20 campaign for the Hoops and he scored the club’s memorable stoppage-time winner against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in the Europa League.
That is a reflection of how he can be a crucial player on his day and adds quality depth to the team. So, selling Ntcham would not be a wise decision for the Hoops.