At one point during last summer’s transfer deadline day he feared not getting Cameron Carter-Vickers to Celtic at all.
Now Hoops gaffer Ange Postecoglou can’t bear the thought of letting him go.
The American centre-back has been one of his best signings at Parkhead after arriving on loan from Spurs.
The 23-year-old has been a steadying influence at the back for Celtic.
While others around him have been left out at times, Carter-Vickers has been a constant at the heart of the defence.
His experience of English football has resulted in solid Premiership displays which have been crucial as Postecoglou attempts to build a new side capable of challenging for the title.
The Celtic manager has revealed the only reason Carter-Vickers wasn’t a permanent acquisition was because it got over the line so late in the window but he wants him for the long haul.
Postecoglou knew what he was getting from the eight-cap USA star and says Carter-Vickers hasn’t disappointed.
The Celtic boss said: “He’s become an important part of our team and that’s why I was so keen to bring him in.
“Even though he’s a young guy, you just have to look at his playing experience. He had three solid years playing in the Championship at good, strong clubs.
“The Championship in England is a really tough competition. You don’t get through that without having some real quality in you. I looked at his track record and I knew we would be getting somebody with more experience than his age would suggest.
“That’s what’s proven to be. The beauty of that is he’s only going to get better and he wants that.
“He works hard every day, looks after himself and wants to be the best footballer he can be.
“I knew what I was getting but it turned out to be a really good move.
“We were close to not getting him in the window because there were moving parts.
“There were some players we needed to move on at the time. People forget that Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie didn’t leave until late so there were a helluva lot of moving parts.
“Thankfully for us we were able to get Cameron over the line at the last minute. It was a bit of a leap of faith for him because he didn’t have a lot of time to think about it but I’m sure he would say that it has been a great move for him and it’s been a great move for the club.
“Why was it not a permanent deal? Because we didn’t have the time. It was really late in the piece and the logical thing for all parties was a loan, otherwise we wouldn’t have got the deal done.”
Carter-Vickers is part of the best defence in the league, with Celtic conceding just 11 goals ahead of today’s trip to St Johnstone.
Recently they’ve struggled to break teams down at the other end culminating in a disappointing 0-0 draw against a depleted St Mirren on Wednesday night.
The loss of Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota and Giorgos Giakoumakis through injury has left Postecoglou short up front but the manager is convinced they will find their shooting boots in Perth today before the winter break.
He admits Celtic’s league position isn’t where they want to be but says if they continue to progress the way they have done they’ll be competing with Rangers for the title.
Postecoglou said: “If you watch the game on Wednesday we had enough chances to win it. It’s not like we didn’t create the opportunities.
“You would like to think if we create an equal amount on Sunday we will score one and get the job done.
“It’s not about being scrappy or fighting. It’s just that we need to be stronger in our mentality in that front third, show a bit more composure.
“We create chances so there shouldn’t be any anxiety around it and there was anxiety against St Mirren.
“We have players in those positions who are maybe not natural in the roles and that makes the task a little more challenging. Ultimately, when I sit down and watch the game again, it’s one we should have won.
“That we didn’t is down to our own lack of ability to get the ball in the net.
“I get that the league table is people’s reference point but I can’t control that. All we can control is our own destiny.
“What we know is that if we continue with similar form to what we have shown over the last two and a half months through Sunday and into the second half of the year we will give ourselves a chance.
“I’m not going to stress or worry about what I can’t control. I can’t control what other teams do, whether they are above us or below us.
“On a match day the only thing we can control are the games we play in.
“We had a slow start which has meant that we’re not in the ideal position but if we continue the way we have been we will give ourselves an opportunity.”
The earlier-than-planned break should give Postecoglou time to take stock after a hectic first six months in charge.
With new players to bring in, others to move on and a reassessment of his staff to undertake, he expects to be busy.
He added: “The break will involve trying to get new players, assessing the squad and staff, seeing whether we move people in or out and making sure we have the right training schedule. So yeah, a great breather!
“I’m under no illusions. Assuming we have this schedule where we’re involved in so many competitions, the first half of the season has shown we need a stronger squad. It was never going to happen in one window. If anyone thought we’d have a squad robust enough to tackle what we want, they’re kidding themselves.”
