Postecoglou can seal Starfelt upgrade as Celtic plot move for "perfect" 25 y/o machine - opinion

Celtic saw their move to appoint Ange Postecoglou as their new manager last June ultimately pay off, as the Australian helped the Hoops to reclaim the Premiership title.

Over 38 league games, the Bhoys won 29, drew six and lost only three, ultimately leaving them with 93 points on the board.

One other impressive feat in Celtic’s season was the fact that they conceded fewer goals (22) than any other side in the Scottish top flight, and one man who contributed a lot to give the Hoops the best defensive record in the league was Carl Starfelt.

Signed from Rubin Kazan last summer in a deal worth £4.5m, the centre-back went on to make 49 appearances for the Parkhead club across all competitions.

With the second-highest number of interceptions (42) and tackles won (30) in Postecoglou’s squad, the 27-year-old also had the joint-second highest average of clearances (3.5) and joint-highest average for aerial duels won per game (4.2) among the Bhoys’ ranks.

Now that Postecoglou and Starfelt’s debut season at Celtic has come to an end, the upcoming summer transfer window will give the Parkhead club the chance to strengthen their squad and get them ready to take on the next campaign.

In terms of potential incoming transfers, one player with whom the Hoops have been linked and who could be a potential upgrade on their current defensive hero is Joseph Okumu.

Similarly to Starfelt, the 25-year-old has enjoyed a rather busy season with a new club after making 46 appearances for Belgian side Gent following his transfer from Swedish outfit Elfsborg last year.

To compare the defenders’ individual domestic campaigns, the Kenyan racked up more interceptions and won more tackles than the Celtic man, while also giving away far fewer fouls and