Chris Sutton has warned Olivier Ntcham that he has no chance of talking his way into joining a major club.
A year ago after an impressive first season where he played in the Champions League, scored big match goals and effectively replaced Stuart Armstrong there would have been strong interest in the French midfielder.
The examples of Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama and Moussa Dembele alerted clubs to the quality that Celtic have recruited and developed. Importantly the club has always been keen to help players earn transfers elsewhere.
At that stage Ntcham wouldn’t have been short of offers but after a shocking 12 months Sutton was quick to explain to the midfielder exactly where his reputation lay.
“The Frenchman had some cheek saying Scottish football wasn’t a big enough challenge,” he told the Daily Record. “If anything he found it too tough last season. He’s angling for a move but he’s going the wrong way about it – you don’t talk your way in to a big club. You earn it on the pitch.
“Ntcham will rely on his agent being silver tongued because anyone watching last year would not have seen a £15m player. He had a decent game against Rangers early on but was shocking against St Mirren after that and never recovered.
“Lennon will be fuming at his comments and will have pulled him in for a chat. It’s up to Ntcham to respond just like Johnston (Mikey) did. Get the head down and play yourself towards the move you want.”
Ntcham returns to Lennoxtown on Monday where he’ll face a meeting with Neil Lennon to explain his comments and probably Peter Lawwell as well.
With a long term contract signed as recently as November last year his outspoken comments are a problem for the club as well as the player.
With virtually no chance of a £15m offer being received a loan move elsewhere could be the easiest solution with little prospect of the Frenchman playing his way back into favour with Neil Lennon believed to be looking to sign at least one midfielder with interest expressed in David Turnbull and Romaine Sawyers.