Ange Postecoglou has revealed that he tried to bring Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma to Celtic at the same time he sealed a switch for Kyogo Furuhashi.
Mitoma has been in stunning from the Albion this season scoring nine goals and bagging six assists in all competitions over the past five months.
The Japanese international was usually utilised from the bench under the leadership of Graham Potter, but since Roberto De Zerbi took over he has been given a new lease of life.
Mitoma’s form has resulted in plenty of speculation surrounding his name, with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid all linked, but Postecoglou has now detailed how he could have ended up playing in the Scottish Premiership.
Asked if Mitoma was a player he was aware of, Postecoglou explained: “Yeah, I tried to get him but it was already almost done for him to go to Brighton.
“Him and Kyogo were the first two players I tried to bring across here. Mitoma would have been a good signing but unfortunately for us, Brighton also have a very good scouting network.
“They managed to pick him up but there was never any doubt in my mind that he was another one who was going to be a top player. He’s done really well down there which hasn’t surprised me.”
Postecoglou and Celtic are back in action following the international break when they head to Dingwall to take on Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.
On the importance of keeping up momentum, the Parkhead manager explained: “We had a really strong middle part of the season after the World Cup and before the break.
“We wanted to lay a strong foundation to go and finish the season which we did. Our results were outstanding and the performances just as good. We scored a lot of goals and the boys are ready to finish strongly now.
“If we can finish the last part stronger than the middle part, we’ll be in a good space. That starts on Sunday. It’s always a challenge going up to Ross County because Malky has his players so well prepared.
“It’s always a physical game but we’ll be ready for it. Every game will have an edge to it now because all the teams are playing for something.
“I’m sure each game that we play home or away will have a little bit of desperation about it. But we’ve been gearing ourselves up for a big finish and that starts on Sunday.”
Winger Liel Abada is a doubt for the fixture through injury, but ahead of the match, Postecoglou has dismissed transfer exit talk surrounding the Israeli international.
Asked if it was a similar situation to that of Josip Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumakis, he added: “That’s not really accurate in terms of Josip and Giako. The players have their futures in their own hands.
“It’s about what they want to do. With some of them, they’re at different stages of their life and have different ambitions.
“I’ve got no problem with that, it’s not about being ruthless or harsh with them. It’s about understanding their needs and what they want to do.
“That’s fine, we move on and they move on to better things. That’s how I treat every case.
“Liel’s very happy here. There’s nothing that’s shown me he wants to go anywhere. He just wants to be the best he can be. He’s working hard every day to do that.
“He’s been fantastic since he joined us. Sometimes other people like to speak for others but I prefer to speak to the person themselves and get first hand information.
“At the moment Liel is really happy here.”
