Celtic podcaster Paul Carlin has made a claim about Olivier Ntcham following the club’s recent friendlies in France.
Carlin appeared as a guest on the latest episode of The Cynic podcast and the panel discussed many things about the club’s recent pre-season friendlies in France. Carlin chose to focus on Ntcham and how the midfielder did in the three games.
Celtic’s first pre-season game saw them take on Nice and the tie ended 1-1. Their second game saw them lose 2-1 against Lyon, while the third one was played against Paris Saint-Germain and the Hoops lost that 4-0 (as per Celtic.net).
While talking about Ntcham, Carlin said: “The name that you mentioned there – Olivier Ntcham, it is just a name that’s been buzzing about in my head since these games because I’m thinking – what happens for him? I have concerns that we’re going to lose him and he will be sold in this window.
Will Ntcham play regularly for Celtic next season?
Yes, he will
I don't think so
“He was just one of the players that I just thought really impressed over those three games, even though he didn’t have loads of game time. There’s just something about that guy that we don’t see from anyone else in the team.”
Carlin believes that Ntcham performed very well in the friendlies in France and while he is concerned about the midfielder’s future, he believes that Ntcham adds something different to the Celtic side.
TIF Thoughts…
Ntcham joined Celtic from Manchester City in the summer of 2017 and since then, he has made 123 appearances in all competitions for the Bhoys. He has found the back of the net 23 times and has assisted 11 times (via Transfermarkt).
That is a decent goal contribution record for a midfielder. He came up with a valuable goal for the Hoops in their 2-1 win over Lazio in the UEFA Europa League at the Stadio Olimpico and that could be a reflection of how he can be an important player.
If he has impressed in the friendlies like Carlin says he has, then he could be set to play a significant role for Celtic in the 2020/21 season.