Richard Early 
Paolo Rattini/Getty Images Sport
Celtic’s latest signing Olivier Ntcham has revealed the incentive that led him to Celtic Park as he dreams of Champions League nights.
Brendan Rodgers’ secured his third signing of the transfer window yesterday for a fee of around £4.5 million, and he has the potential to be another top addition to the squad.
Ntcham had no first-team future at Manchester City, and he could not turn down the offer from Celtic with the various attractions the club has to offer.
The 21-year-old revealed the main reason he made the move to Glasgow to The Herald, saying:
What persuaded me to come here? The Champions League, not every player can play in this competition and that is why I came here. I never had the chance to play Champions League football in my career before. I have heard that it is unbelievable to play in and that is what I want to do with Celtic.
I like to play more [forward] on the pitch but I can play all of the central midfield positions as a number 8, 6, or 10. I am a strong, physical player.
The player went on to talk about Rodgers’ influence on his decision:
The manager spoke to me and told me that the Italian league did not suit my style of football, he felt that it was not the right fit for me because it was more tactical and everything was different.
The manager believes that I would be best suited to the Scottish game and the way Celtic play. I learned a lot of tactical stuff in Italy. It has made me a better tactical player because in terms of tactics Italy is the best football place in the world. And we did running…a lot!
The French U21 international made 41 appearances for Genoa, scoring three goals and providing two assists, and having scouted the player heavily, Rodgers will now look to increase his productivity on the field.
Ntcham also spoke about his footballing inspirations, adding:
When you see French players being successful you want to be like them, Zidane was my hero and my example to follow growing up. I played against Juventus three or four times when I was in Italy. I enjoyed playing against Pogba when he was there because he is also French and we had good battles in the midfield.
I like the way he plays and he is someone that I try to copy in my style on the pitch. When I arrived at Le Havre, he had left to go to Manchester United for the first time. But we came through the same youth system.
The midfielder already knows one of Celtic’s top players, Moussa Dembele, which should help him settle in quickly.
I have known Moussa and played with him since we were 14-years-old in the national teams, he has told me about the atmosphere at Celtic Park and that the fans are unbelievable. He also told me about the Rangers games here in Glasgow and how unbelievable they are as a player.
The Frenchman was questioned on if the financial pressure affects him or not and responded confidently:
No, the money does not put pressure on me, for me, it makes me happy because the club is showing a lot of faith in me.
When you buy a player, you buy him because he can do big things on the pitch. I hope this is what I can show for Celtic. The money is not a problem. It is a challenge and I am looking forward to it.
The Celtic support will be hoping that he quickly develops into a top player to pressurise the current players in his position, and becomes another successful signing.
Ntcham is unlikely to feature against Linfield on Friday as he builds up his fitness, although he will be eager to get game time soon and make an instant impact for the Hoops.
