Scott Brown pinpoints Ange Postecoglou Celtic transfer trick that could bring Treble to Parkhead

Scott Brown reckons Ange Postecoglou’s “exceptional” recruitment has been the driving force behind Celtic setting themselves up for back-to-back titles and a Treble shot.

The Hoops boss has scoured the globe to revolutionise the Parkhead dressing room in his 20 months in charge, taking over a side that had finished the season trophyless and leading them to a league and cup double in his first campaign. Celtic are now looking to go one better with a nine-point Premiership lead, a Scottish Cup semi final against Rangers in the diary and the League Cup already in the bag.

Former skipper Brown, who brought his own 14-year spell in the east end of Glasgow to an end a month before Postecoglou arrived, reckons the Aussie’s success in the transfer market has been a massive factor. Only two players from Brown’s time - captain Callum McGregor and Greg Taylor - are regulars in Postecoglou’s side now.

Raids on the previously untapped Asian market where Postecoglou had been recruited from J-League Yokohama Marinos yielded key figures including Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and more recently Oh Hyeon-gyu.

Closer to home Joe Hart, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Matt O’Riley have played huge roles while European recruits Jota, Carl Starfelt and Liel Abada have been success stories as have Aaron Mooy, Sead Haksabanovic and Alistair Johnston.

And Brown said: “His recruitment has been exceptional. There’s been a lot of British people coming to the club from England as well. But he’s got great recruitment.

“I know he was over in Japan for a time and he would have seen and understood what they are like. You can see how well the players that have come over and bought into his understanding of the way he wants to play football and the