Once again, the media are trying to prise players away from Celtic. It should come as no surprise, really, as the club has assembled a cornucopia of talent over the last few years.
Recently Liel Abada was linked with a move away from the club, but the Israeli international is contracted until 2026 and has confirmed that he is “really happy” with life in Glasgow.
If the speculation is to be believed, several European clubs are after the winger, including Eredivisie giants Ajax. It appears that his main focus is on the task at hand, however, as he confirmed:
“I am focused on getting the three trophies and this is the most important thing now.”
The winger seems to be enjoying his time in Glasgow and has stated that he there is “no rush” to leave the back-to-back Scottish champions. Abada added:
“I am really happy at Celtic. Everyone looks after me and tries to help me get better. My relationships with the players and staff are very good.”
Another player who has been surrounded by a media frenzy this week is Reo Hatate. Once again, journalists have created a story out of nothing. After Celtic’s title win at Tynecastle on Sunday, all the Celtic players and staff returned to Parkhead for a heroes’ welcome.
However, the Japanese central midfielder was nowhere to be seen. This led to some jumping the gun to suggest that the playmaker must be on his way out? There was absolutely no other explanation as far as these hacks were concerned. Rumours circulated that he was keen to join his friend, Kaoru Mitoma, at Brighton in the Premier League, but the midfield maestro tempered the scribblers’ enthusiasm by declaring:
“People are reading too much into it. I had personal things, so I had to be away from the team. But that’s all, nothing else. I wasn’t at the Brighton game.”
Hatate also cemented his loyalty to Celtic, saying: “The main thing is that I play for Celtic. This is where I am, and I am focusing on the rest of the games.”
The Japanese sensation went on to admit that Celtic didn’t perform to the correct standard in the Champions League, but he relished the opportunity to play in the competition again. He said: “As a team, we have proved a lot in domestic games, but we didn’t get any wins in the Champions League and that’s quite disappointing. Overall, we did well but we have to improve.”
It certainly appears that whenever Celtic, or any club in Scotland for that matter, have a quality player in their squad the media want to jump on it and find them a move elsewhere.
Why can’t our journalists help build our game up by championing the players we have, whilst talking the standard of the Scottish game up? It gets enough of a battering from elsewhere, but continues to be one of the best-supported leagues in Europe. Abada and Hatate have been marvellous additions to the Scottish game and it would benefit the standard of the entire league if they were allowed to develop here for a season or two more.
BOBBY GORDON
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