Ange Postecoglou speaks out on the Ben Doak speculation

Ange Postecoglou won’t be going out of his way to persuade Ben Doak to stay on at Celtic. 

The 16-year-old made two top team appearances following the winter break but all the signs suggest that he is ready to sign a professional contract with Liverpool at the end of the season. 

Postecoglou clearly rates Doak but in common with his policy for more experienced players he wants to create an environment that players want to be involved with rather than twist arms to get them to stay. 

Discussing Doak, The Sun reports Postecoglou saying: 

I’ve said all along my role is to look after the footballers that want to be here. The footballers that don’t want to be here? There’s another avenue there for them. 

When you look at the starting line-up against Dundee United there were a few boys who started out as ball boys for our club. You can’t tell me they haven’t had careers – they’ve represented their country, they’ve won trophies. 

There are a couple down south who started here too. People may think going down south is a reward or some guarantee of success. 

Life – and football in general – shows you there are many avenues towards that goal. I think you’re in a great place here if that’s what your end game is. 

James Forrest and Callum McGregor are fantastic success stories, alongwith Kieran Tierney they are outstanding examples of success from the Celtic Academy. Three players in a dozen years however isn’t a great strike rate, that trio are the exception rather than the rule. 

In 2018 Aaron Hickey went through the same process as Doak is, less than four years after leaving Celtic he is established in Serie A and has played more top flight football than any other teenager in Europe. 

Ahead of Hickey Celtic appeared to have a great batch of prospects in Jack Aitchison, Daniel Church, Robbie Deas, Stephen Welsh and Kerr McInroy. Only Welsh remains at the club with little prospect of breaking the Carl Starfelt/Cameron Carter-Vickers partnership.  

Karamoke Dembele is also out of contract at the end of this season but came on as a substitute last night which suggests that he is interested in signing a new Celtic deal.