During a sparkling two years in charge, Ange Postecoglou combined magnificent football with a winning formula, making his time at Celtic one of few low points and remarkable highs.
The 59-year-old’s astute hiring decisions, which included players like Jota and Matt O’Riley—two players who have now brought in around £25 million apiece during the last two summer transfer windows—were among the most important aspects of his tenure as manager.
With the exception of James McCarthy, there aren’t many instances where the former Yokohama manager made mistakes in the transfer market given that he assembled a strong and competitive team before leaving last year.
The failure to hold onto a certain Ryan Christie, a Scotland player who has excelled since leaving Parkhead in 2021, may have been one possible error, though.
The record of Ryan Christie at Celtic
After being signed on loan from Aberdeen for 18 months, where he scored 33 goals and provided 33 assists in just 57 games, Christie didn’t really establish himself in the first team system in Glasgow until the 2018–19 season. Christie had been plucked from Inverness Caledonian Thistle back in 2015.
After returning to his original club, the graceful left-footer maintained his scorching form, contributing to 85 goals in just over 150 appearances during the ensuing few years.
The 54-cap international distinguished himself as the guy to make the difference as the link between the midfield and the attack by recording double figures in goals and assists in the Premiership during that comeback season.
The next season brought another 22 goals and assists across all competitions, but it turned out to be his final full season at the team as he was among many to leave during Postecoglou’s first summer in charge, including players like Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer.
Club veteran Chris Sutton wrote that Christie appeared to be the “ideal player” for Postecoglou’s style of play and that the Hoops “should be doing everything they possibly can to tie him down on a new deal” at the time, considering that Christie only had a year remaining on his contract.
As it happened, the gifted midfield player signed a contract to join Edouard and Ajer in the south after moving to AFC Bournemouth for a meagre £2.5 million, a sum that now seems like a steal for the Cherries given his impact since then.
The market value of Christie’s in 2024
The 29-year-old veteran ace, who played 124 games at the Vitality Stadium, is not the same offensive force he was in Glasgow. He only managed 20 goals and 20 assists.
Christie was praised by current Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as the “most tactically intuitive player” in the team, but the Spaniard has instead repurposed Christie as more of a deep-lying option in midfield.
Sutton referred to the £70k-per-week player as a “manager’s dream” back in December. He led his current team to a respectable 12th-place Premier League finish last season, demonstrating his versatility both in and out of possession with his ability to win duels and create opportunities for teammates.
Not surprisingly, his value has skyrocketed recently, with Football Transfers speculating that the midfield “maverick”—hailed by his previous boss John Hughes—could now fetch as much as £15 million.
That puts him above the £11 million paid for Celtic’s club record acquisition, Arne Engels, and shows that the Old Firm side may have sold him for much too little since it marks a 500% increase over his original £2.5 million exit price.
Naturally, Christie’s contract circumstances at the time did not help matters, but it would have been ideal to get a higher price for a player with Christie’s calibre.
Unfortunately, the Hoops have prospered in the years that have passed despite Christie’s departure, thanks to players like O’Riley and the recently acquired Engels, who has already scored four goals and provided assists.
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