Chris Sutton says Giorgos Giakoumakis leaving Celtic would be a 'big loss' to Ange Postecoglou even with the arrival of Oh Hyeon-Gyu.
The Hoops look set to lose star man Giakoumakis to MLS side Atalanta United in a deal worth a reported £4m. The 28-year-old has been viewed by some as a back-up player during his stint in Glasgow to first choice Kyogo Furuhashi but the Greek's goal contributions have played a key part to Postecoglou's men. Yet contract talks stalled in Glasgow last month and an exit looks close.
Postecoglou moved to recruit Korean forward Hyeon-Gyu from the K-League as his fourth signing of the winter window, with the 21-year-old admitting a dream move to Parkhead had to become reality. But Celtic hero Sutton has revealed his concern about the potential loss of Giakoumakis and says Oh will be a 'work in progress'.
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He told the Record Sport Celtic podcast: "In terms of Giakoumakis, I know he’s played second fiddle to Kyogo, but he almost guarantees goals every time he plays.
“With Oh coming in, it will be interesting to see how he fits in and it will be important he fits in quickly and hits the ground running. Giakoumakis wasn’t just about his goals, it was his physical presence, the way he holds the ball up. You look at his performances against Rangers in the big games.
“He always turned up. I think he will be a huge miss. Ange Postecoglou hasn’t got a lot wrong in the transfer market. There must be a reason for letting him go. Giakoumakis wanted out but he always looked a player who was highly motivated and he’ll be a loss.
“I hope Oh is a revelation but it does worry me, at a time the pitches are starting to roughen up and Celtic are not going to be able to play their free-flowing stuff all the time, they don’t have that other option.
“When Giakoumakis is on the pitch he does get opportunities and you’d back him to finish them. There have been many games where he’s been influential. Oh is a work in progress. Hopefully he’ll hit the ground running but he’s a development player who will have to play second fiddle to Kyogo.
“But if anything happens to Kyogo, then Giakoumakis was a sure thing, can we say the same about Oh? That’s not having a pop at Oh. It’s just that it’s all about winning titles in Scotland and it’s not over yet. There’s a lot of talk coming from across the city. You’d rather be in Celtic’s shoes but they don’t want to risk an opportunity to keep Rangers in their place.”
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