The way Scott McDonald sees it is very simple.
If you suddenly find yourself swimming in a deep pool of Saudi oil money, then you might as well buy yourself something nice with it. Like a pair of golden handcuffs for the most important player you have left. And that’s precisely what Celtic did yesterday morning when, before Al-Ittihad’s millions had even dropped into the bank account, the club had announced that star striker and talisman Kyogo Furuhashi had been tied down on a new four year contract.
“Look, it’s smart business by Celtic,’ McDonald said as he looked back on a tumultuous few days and weeks in Glasgow’s east end from his new home on Australia’s Gold Coast. News travels fast. The former Parkhead poacher went on: “They’ve taken some of the money they’ve brought in from Jota’s sale and the first thing they’ve done with it is use it to protect a player who is arguably their next biggest asset. What they are saying here is that, ‘We can’t let another one go!’.
“I’m sure that’ll come as a relief to the fans who have been left reeling a little bit by seeing Jota follow Ange Postecoglou out of the door. Getting Kyogo tied down sends out a message that the club is still in a strong place. Losing Kyogo in this window would have left them with too much to replace. And how much money would that have cost? From a business point of view, it just wouldn’t have made any sense no matter how much profit they end up clearing on Jota’s move.
“It’s been a crazy few days, just to think that Jota has now gone there, along with Steven Gerrard. But, whatever you think of what’s going on in Saudi Arabia, Celtic have to continue to take care of their own business. Priority No.1 was giving some of that money to Kyogo. It’s a business move and it’s the right move in terms of investing in the squad. Maybe they’ll do something similar now with some of the other guys, like Liel Abada, who are also attracting interest.”
At 28, Kyogo cannot be viewed as a long term investment. But, even so, McDonald is certain Celtic are spending their riches wisely by bumping up the terms of his deal.
He explained: “Yes, OK there’s an argument that Kyogo is not a young kid anymore. He’s 28-years-old. But, forget about the off the field side of things. The money they’re spending on him they’ll get back - and more - on the field. That’s 20 goals almost guaranteed for next season.
“Also, they are protecting themselves in the short term just in case they do get an offer for him at some point later this summer. If they do then it’ll have to be a hefty price for someone to prize him away.”
And there’s always the suspicion that Postecoglou in particular may plan on doing exactly that - especially if he’s left with a Harry Kane sized hole in his new club’s attack. McDonald said: “What Ange couldn’t do is sell Kane and then introduce his old Celtic centre forward as the replacement. Not straight off the bat at any rate. That wouldn’t wash the supporters.
“But, again, there is enough money there at Tottenham surely to go after a headline signing to replace Kane - and then still have £15m or however much it costs to get Kyogo out. Now that he’s signed a new deal, though, it’s going to be a little more than that now.
“But, the most important part is that Kyogo has, by signing this contract, shown everyone where his head is at. He wants to stay at the club. That’s the most important thing, that he wants to commit to it. That’s great for Celtic and it’s great for the fans.”
In fact, it’s almost refreshing and especially after seeing Jota rush to cash in his own pile of chips just as the winger enters the prime years of his playing career.
McDonald, though, is not surprised. He added: “They have different backgrounds with different ways of thinking and different cultures. That always comes into it with Japanese players. It’s what they are - they tend to be very loyal characters - and you can see that Kyogo loves playing for Celtic. He loves it.
“He’s the one out of them all who really settled in the most. That’s not to say the others haven’t but he really has an affinity with the fans. He loves the adoration and the hero worshipping. He just gets it. So it’s great news for everyone involved at the club that Celtic have got a goalscorer staying on for next season. Yes, they’ll still be looking to add more but they’ve got one in the building which is so important.”
As for McDonald? He’s currently busy making his own way in management back on home soil, at a time when Postecoglou has blazed a trail into European football’s biggest league.
With one league title in the bag already in his first job in charge of Gold Coast Knights, the highly rated 39 year-old is well on his way to securing a second successive league crown. At this rate, it may not be too long before he’s following in Postecoglou’s path back onto more familiar territory.
He said: “We’re on a great run, top of our league and unbeaten in 21 since the first game of the season. We’re in the last 32 of the Australian Cup, in with all the A-League teams, so we’re looking to go deep in that too. We’re also in the final of the Queensland Cup so, yes, it’s been a good 18 months of building.
“I took over a team that had finished in sixth place when I came in. But we managed to win the Championship last year and we’ve built on that again to be in a really good position.
“It’s been good to develop as a coach and to implement my style. I’m just enjoying the progress and enjoying the experience. I don’t know if what Ange has done will automatically open up any doors. You’ve just got to get on with your own job, impress and improve, and show people what you are capable of doing.
“If I can do that hopefully it will lead in the right direction. But, for now, it’s all about keeping winning and keeping improving. That’s what Ange has proven over the whole course of his career. He hasn’t got to where he’s got by accident.”
