Journalist Pete O’Rourke admits that Celtic may face an uphill battle to sign Cameron Carter-Vickers from Tottenham Hotspur if his form in Scotland continues.
The defender has emerged as a key man under the management of Ange Postecoglou, having joined the club on loan in the summer.
What’s the latest with Carter-Vickers?
The defender moved north of the border in the summer, having again failed to work his way into the Spurs starting XI.
A USA international with eight caps to his name, he has made just five senior appearances for Spurs, with four coming in the 2016/17 season and one coming this season, as he played in the 1-0 Europa Conference League qualifying defeat to Pacos de Ferreira.
However, he has been in exceptional form since his move to Scotland and has played 23 times for the club in all competitions.
Carter-Vickers has even scored twice in the Scottish Premiership, and his form has been such that he has been linked with a permanent move to the club.
Postecoglou has admitted himself that he wants to sign Carter-Vickers permanently in the January transfer window but it remains to be seen if a deal can be struck with Spurs.
Per Glasgow World, Spurs have placed a £6m asking price on the defender and will allow him to leave provided that fee is met, with Postecoglou making the move a priority.
But O’Rourke believes that rival clubs may well make their interest known in snapping him up this month too.
What has he said?
Speaking to GiveMeSport, he said: “The worry for Celtic is if Carter-Vickers continues to impress up at Celtic Park, that might bring other clubs to the table to try to sign the American in the summer.”
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What do Celtic need to do?
Act fast.
If the asking price really is £6m, it’s an affordable fee for a defender who has been impressing throughout the start of the season.
He has become a key player for Postecoglou and the opportunity is there for Celtic to get him through the door on a permanent basis.
They have him at the club until the end of the season anyway due to the loan deal that has been struck and there is no real excuse not to beat off any potential competition for his signature.
It certainly looks as though Carter-Vickers is happy at Celtic and Postecoglou is happy with him; all that’s left is to formalise that by getting him in permanently.