A mystery man has helped make Olivier Ntcham such a first-season success story at Celtic.
That man is Reda Bekhti, he is one of the 22-year-old’s former youth coaches from Paris FC, and the Frenchman has been apportioning a chunk of his Parkhead pay packet to get him over to Scotland two or three times each month with the club’s blessing to work on a one-to-one basis on the technical and tactical side of his game.
He deserves at least a small piece of the credit when it comes to converting Ntcham, a man who had previously started just 21 matches in two seasons at Genoa to a mainstay of this Celtic side, with no fewer than 46 appearances under my belt.
“I have enjoyed my time a lot here, because we have already won two trophies and this season I have played a lot of games,” Ntcham said. “I am a lot different as a player from when I came here at first. I was fit back then but not like today. At the beginning of the season I couldn’t play three games in a row. It was maybe two, rest one, another two again. It is true you can never get to the top until you can do that. If you want to perform you have to play a lot of games and you have to know your own body.
“How have I managed to do it?” he added. “I am training more because I have a second coach from Paris called Reda Bekhti, who comes over to help me and that has helped me to adapt to the Scottish game. In Italy, I was only playing one game a week but here we were playing three games. It was a big change for me and the club were supportive of me bringing him in. He comes over to Glasgow two or three times a month to work with me. He works with me on my positional sense and my use of the ball in games as well as my game understanding.
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“I have known him since I was only 13 as he was my coach back in Paris, so I trust him to be able to help me. We have kept in touch over the years and he is always there to help me. He gives me a lot of confidence. He watches all my matches and he tries to pass on advice. He can see what aspects of my game that I have to improve on.”
Much credit in a storming first season for the Frenchman must also go to the example set by his midfield colleague Scott Brown. “I have learned a lot from Scott,” said Ntcham. “He has such commitment, his aggression and tackling and when I see that I want to do the same as he does.”
That will be needed against the Fir Park side tomorrow. “They fight for every single ball, they run their socks off and we know how tough this will be,” he said. “But I enjoy the physical battle in games, so I always love the matches we have with Motherwell. It is a good test for players and one we thrive on.”
What happens to Celtic’s French connection next campaign remains to be seen but Ntcham would love loan signing Odsonne Edourad to become a permanent arrival. “I hope Odsonne comes back to the club next season,” said Ntcham. “It was a good choice by him to come to the club and play some games for a club like this. He played well and I think he can see the way myself and Moussa have improved shows why he should come back. He has said he would like to come back but it isn’t up to us, it will be up to the club.”
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