Celtic legend Chris Sutton has delivered his verdict on the situation of midfielder Olivier Ntcham.
Sutton was recently present on the latest episode of the Record Celtic podcast and he was asked about many things involving the Hoops. One thing that he chose to focus on was the future of Ntcham and whether the Bhoys can afford to sell him this summer.
The midfielder has been linked with a move to Southampton in recent months. It was reported that Ralph Hasenhuttl has been tracking Ntcham for a while and he is still seen as a ‘realistic target’ by the Saints.
Discussing the amount of games affecting Celtic’s freshness throughout previous campaigns, Sutton said: “I think it is a concern for every club, isn’t it, the volume of games.
“All this whole situation and what we’ve discussed and the fact [that] there are so many games tells me at this moment in time, Celtic are well short in terms of strength in depth and that is why the situation has to be addressed.
Can Celtic afford to lose Ntcham this summer?
Yes, he can leave
No, he has to stay!
“That is why Celtic would be mad to sell Ntcham. They would be absolutely ridiculous to sell Ntcham and let other players go when they actually need players in. They don’t want to be shipping players out at this moment in time. And Neil Lennon will know that. Eventually, with what’s at stake, he needs to dig his heels in with this one.”
Sutton believes that Celtic need strength in depth this season and that is why they need to keep hold of players this summer like Ntcham, who is currently valued at £3.60 million (per Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts…
Elsewhere from Southampton, Ntcham has also been linked with a move to West Ham over the last few months. It was reported that the Hammers were in advanced talks to sign the midfielder back in January.
In the 2019/20 season, Ntcham made 38 appearances in all competitions and directly contributed to 12 goals from midfield, including Celtic’s memorable stoppage-time winner in the Europa League group stage game against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico (as per Transfermarkt).
This shows that he can be a useful player on his day and adds important midfield depth. So Sutton is right to suggest that Celtic should keep hold of Ntcham this summer.