Celtic have already started planning to offset any January transfer moves for players who will find themselves with a World Cup platform to showcase their qualities this winter.
Reo Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda could all be involved at the tournament for Japan while Aaron Mooy is expected to make the Australian squad. Cameron Carter-Vickers is pushing for inclusion with the United States while Matt O’Riley could find himself promoted into the senior Danish squad given the maturity of his performances for Celtic. Josip Juranovic, already linked with a move elsewhere this summer, will be part of the Croatian side.
The timing of the World Cup this year will bring its own challenges but what may follow immediately is a busier than usual January transfer window.
“We showed last year that we always want to stay ahead of the game that way,” said Postecoglou. “We had a look at last January and without certainty and without being able to predict the future we thought about certain positions and what we would need and we are doing the same again for this January.
“We have already started planning and we have identified the targets that we need. We will look to bring in players in January that hopefully that insulates us in case any of our players are taken off our hands. It is a part of our planning and we are well underway in ensuring we are ready for that. Mark [Lawwell] knows how I look at things and we are planning for the next two, three, four windows and trying to project what we will need and potentially what gaps we may have.
“We look at the age demographic of our list and we have a lot in the younger bracket at the moment but we know that in the next few years that will progress and some of our players will move on so we have got to make sure that we have players in the age group underneath that who we can bring in and develop. You don’t just look at what the immediate concerns are, you look at medium term and long term issues. That is just as important.”
Meanwhile, Greg Taylor has the drive and mentality to emulate Scotland fullbacks Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson, according to Postecoglou. Taylor is likely to find himself playing a prominent role for Steve Clark’s side as Scotland prepare for a Nations League triple-header next week that will see Ukraine faced home and away with the Republic of Ireland hosted in between.
With Andy Robertson injured and Tierney expected to be deployed on the left of a back three Taylor could be asked to deputise for the Champions League winner.
“He wants more and he feels very strongly about representing Scotland,” said the Greek-Australian. “He knows that he has some world class players competing in that position but he is determined to get to that level. I think you have seen that his performances have improved and he has done well at Champions League level but the key is to keep pushing. If he keeps that mindset then he can get to whatever level he wants.”
Taylor’s performances at club level this season have kept summer signing Alexandro Bernabei out if the starting line-up while the chatter about the former Kilmarnock player being the weak link for Celtic has dissipated in the face of his improved performances.
“It is up to the individual,” said Postecoglou. “In life you can settle for what you have got and allow other people to shape opinions about us or we can do something about it ourselves and change people’s opinions. He comes in here every day and wants to be the very best version of himself that he can be. He has been determined to embrace everything we are doing here in a football and a cultural sense. Even though he is 24 he is one of the loudest in our environment.
“He wanted to improve himself as a footballer in every aspect. He caught on pretty early that there was more in his game that he could improve and he is really starting to see the fruits of that . You can either settle for whatever box people put you in or whatever label they give you or you can just keep developing and reach levels that people maybe thought you couldn’t.”
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