South Korea striker Oh Hyeon-gyu vowed to repay Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou for his persistence after finally completing his dream move to Europe.
The 21-year-old told reporters on Thursday that he first heard about the Scottish champions’ interest back in September.
Watch the world’s best footballers every week with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. LIVE coverage from Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Carabao Cup, EFL & SPFL. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
But the deal was only finalised earlier this week when Celtic paid Suwon Samsung Bluewings a reported $AUD4.3m.
“The moment I heard about the offer I always dreamed about coming over to Celtic. When Celtic offered I didn’t have to think about anything else,” Oh said.
“As a boy I always dreamed about moving to a European club – it was one of my big aims.” Oh joins Celtic’s collection of Asian talent, with six Japanese players having followed Postecoglou to Scotland from the J-League over the past two years.
The striker said the patience of the former Australia boss to get his preferred target was key to the transfer’s completion.
Schneiderlin set to sign with Wanderers | 00:29
MORE COVERAGE
Rumour Mill: Everton ace’s $70m exit sealed; PL boss begs star to snub monster Gunners bid
‘Loaded with hate’: Football world appalled by ‘repugnant’ act but Brazil star gets last laugh
PL great brutally sacked by strugglers after just 59 days, nine games in charge
“It was a pretty long few months of negotiations. It would have been easy for the manager to give up when it doesn’t seem like working out but I’m very grateful that the manager didn’t give me up,” he added.
“I’m very happy to finally be here. As much as the manager wanted me, I want to pay him back by scoring a lot of goals.” Oh could make his debut when Celtic travel to Dundee United on Sunday looking to take another step towards retaining the Scottish Premiership title.
“I want to give a good impression on my debut and a match that no-one can ever forget,” said Oh.
Postecoglou was delighted to have snapped up the youngster.
“He is a young, talented striker with great attributes and someone who is ready to take the next stage in his career,” Postecoglou told the Celtic website.
“I have watched Oh for some time and he is the striker I really wanted as I think he will be a great fit in our squad.
“Really importantly, I know that he had his heart set on joining us too and that his own perseverance has been crucial in making this deal happen.”
JANUARY WINDOW PREMIER LEAGUE DONE DEALS
Arsenal
Leandro Trossard [Brighton] £27m
Jakub Kiwior [Spezia] £20m
Aston Villa
Jhon Duran [Chicago Fire] £18m
Alex Moreno [Real Betis] £13m
Bournemouth
Dango Ouattara [Lorient] £20m
Brentford
Kevin Schade (freiburg) loan
Brighton
Facundo Buonanotte [Club Atletico Rosario Central] £6m
Jamie Mullins [Bohemians] Undisclosed
Chelsea
Mykhailo Mudryk [Shakhtar Donetsk] £89m
Noni Madueke [PSV Eindhoven] £30m
Joao Felix [Atletico Madrid] Loan
Benoit Badiashile [Monaco] £35m
David Datro Fofana [Molde FK] £10m
Andrey Santos [Vasco da Gama] £18m
Leeds
Georginio Rutter [Hoffenheim] £35m
Max Wober [RB Salzburg] Undisclosed
Leicester
Victor Kristiansen [FC Copenhagen] £17m
Liverpool
Cody Gakpo [PSV] £37m
Manchester City
Maximo Perrone [Velez Sarsfield] £8m
Manchester United
Wout Weghorst [Burnley] Loan
Jack Butland [Crystal Palace] Loan
Newcastle
Garang Kuol [Central Coast Mariners] £400k
Nottingham Forest
Danilo [Palmeiras] £16m
Gustavo Scarpa [Palmeiras] Free
Chris Wood [Newcastle] Loan
Southampton
Mislav Orsic [Dinamo Zagreb] £8m
Carlos Alcaraz [Racing Club] £12m
James Bree [Luton] Undisclosed
Tottenham
Arnaut Danjuma [Villarreal] Loan
West Ham
Danny Ings [Aston Villa] £15m
Luizao [Sao Paulo] Undisclosed
Wolves
Matheus Cunha [Atletico Madrid] loan
Craig Dawson [West Ham] £3.3m
Pablo Sarabia [Paris Saint-Germain] £4.4m
Mario Lemina [Nice] £9m
