Kris Commons urges Celtic to give Ange Postecoglou additional funds in January after delivering League Cup glory

Kris Commons reckons Celtic should back manager Ange Postecoglou to the hilt in the upcoming January transfer window to increase his chances of winning the Premiership title at the first time of asking.

The Australian delivered his first trophy since taking charge of the Hoops in June during their 2-1 Premier Sports Cup final victory over Hibernian on Sunday.

The mercurial Kyogo Furuhashi, one of Postecoglou’s summer signings, lit up Hampden Park with two sublime finishes to secure League Cup glory for the 20th time in the club’s history.

Both goals led supporters to compare the Japanese superstar to Parkhead legend Henrik Larsson and while Commons recognises the similarities, he would like to see his old team recruit another striker to further compliment the talented 26-year-old talisman.

The former Hoops playmaker is adamant the time is now to give Postecoglou sufficient funds to strengthen his squad.

Writing in his Daily Mail column, he said: “All the signs are that the board do and will trust him to strengthen the squad in January. Given the calibre of player he has signed so far, how could they possibly not?

“Kyogo has been an absolute sensation. He’s completely lit the place up, and those two finishes yesterday were absolutely outrageous.

“I can understand people arguing that he’s already the best Celtic striker since Henrik Larsson. However, I’d disagree purely because he’s only been here six months and also because I played with Gary Hooper.

“You’ve also got to consider some of the others who have played up there in the past 20 years John Hartson, Chris Sutton, Georgios Samaras, Anthony Stokes, Leigh Griffiths, Moussa Dembele, Odsonne Edouard so it’s a very big call. A lot of those guys did it season after season.

“But what I would say is you’ve now got someone there who is emulating some fantastic strikers who have gone before him in terms of finishing and movement.

“If he’s going to be the new Larsson, he’ll need a player as good as Sutton or Hartson alongside him. He can’t do it himself. The one worry for Celtic is what happens if he’s not fit. Take the workload off him.

“All the indications are that Postecoglou will dip back into the Asian market in January with up to three new players lined up. Why wouldn’t you back him to the hilt?

“Despite having no prior connection, this guy gets the club. He knows it’s more than a football club. It’s a way of life to so many people.

“To think just a few months ago, people were mystified as to why Celtic were taking a chance on a guy with no experience of top-level football in Europe. It now feels like it was all meant to be.”