Celtic loan star should be top of Ange Postecoglou’s transfer list says John Hartson
JOHN HARTSON ranks Cameron Carter- Vickers as important a signing target as any Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou will aim to secure this summer.
The Welsh legend reckons the American defensive enforcer has been key to the Hoops’ title glory.
It’s understood it will cost Celtic a minimum £8million to turn Carter-Vickers’ season-long deal from Spurs into a permanent switch.
That would make him the most expensive defender in the club’s history — surpassing the £7m for Christopher Jullien, who can’t get back into the side — and also the second costliest player ever behind £10m man Odsonne Edouard.
But Hartson has no qualms over imploring Postecoglou to get it done.
The ex-Hoops goalscorer said: “I know Spurs want to sell.
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“I know for a fact, because I speak to people at Spurs, and they want to sell Carter-Vickers.
“He’s been on loan four or five times, and they feel that he’s not going back to Spurs.
“So they want to do a deal with somebody for Carter-Vickers.
“You can talk about the forwards, Jota, Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi with 17 goals whose numbers have been frightening.
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“Joe Hart has been brilliant. But you’ve got to look at Carter-Vickers, he’s been the dominant one. Carl Starfelt has come on to a game but he’s shown weaknesses and defensive frailties.
“It’s Carter-Vickers who has been that man-mountain alongside him and took a lot of the pressure off him.
“To do that for your other centre-half as well, I just think he has been outstanding.
“He would be as important a signing as what Jota would be, I really do think that.
“We know that Celtic are a forward-thinking team, get on the front foot, high intensity, press and pressure.
“As soon as they lose it there’s four and five players around the ball, they don’t go in ones and twos, they don’t leave players 40 yards behind.
“Reo Hatate goes and pushes the forwards, defence comes up to the halfway line, they are a forward-thinking team who almost just want to outscore the opposition team. That’s what they want to do.
“To have really good defenders to go on to another level where you’re up against better opposition and better quality of player, they can hurt you at the very highest level.
“I think they need Carter-Vickers in terms of a defender. They need another one too. They have Jullien but he has not featured.
“I’m not too surprised by that, because he went with Carter-Vickers and Starfelt, and I just feel he didn’t want to upset that pairing.
“He has changed the full-backs at times with Josip Juranovic, Greg Taylor and Adam Montgomery before he went on loan.
“But for me, Carter-Vickers is arguably as important a player to get on board as Jota is.”
Hartson is just as lavish with his praise for captain Callum McGregor who has effortlessly succeeded Scott Brown.
PFA Scotland Player of the Year McGregor came agonisingly close to making it a double with the Scottish Football Writers’ Association award before losing out to Hearts and Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
And Hartson said: “McGregor’s just been exquisite, the way he’s led the team.
“They lose a captain who has done nine in a row and he comes in, different personality and everything. But boy has he led.
“He’s led from the front with his performances. These guys have helped in the group.
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“You want to reward them all. There’s Kyogo and Abada too — give them a new deal also!
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“But those two stand out for me, particularly Carter-Vickers.”
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