CELTIC CONFIDENTIAL: What next for the on-loan Celt receiving rave reviews despite never hitting the heights at Parkhead?

Alexandro Bernabei could return to Celtic as a man in demand after his impressive loan spell at Internacional saw him named in the Brazilian Football Association’s Team of the Year.

Bernabei has been on loan since March this year and was a key figure as Internacional achieved a fifth-place finish in the Brazilian top flight.

His performances have earned rave reviews, with some reports claiming he could be ready for a call-up to the Argentina national team.

Bernabei signed for a fee of around £3.75 million in 2022 and never reached the top flight during his time in Glasgow.

As an attacking left-back, he failed to oust Greg Taylor from the team and fell increasingly out of favor under Ange Postecoglou and later Brendan Rodgers.

But Bernabei’s form in Brazil should be music to Celtic’s ears. Even if he has no future at the club, Celtic should still be able to make a decent profit on him.

HOW FINALLY READY FOR PARKHEAD BOW

Celtic will play their friendly against Newcastle United in Glasgow in July.

And the game will see Eddie Howe finally take his place in the Parkhead technical area – four years after turning down a chance to coach the Scottish champions.

Mailsport understands the English Premier League side will travel north to take on Brendan Rodgers’ side on Saturday, July 19.

Celtic are considering offers to travel to Portugal and Ireland for the season. And Newcastle will likely be one of the last warm-up games before the big kick-off for next season.

Magpies boss Howe threw Celtic into turmoil in May 2021 when he turned down the chance to move to Glasgow, paving the way for Ange Postecoglou to take charge instead.

Recently speaking on Mail Sport columnist Simon Jordan’s podcast, the St James’ Park boss suggested he had ‘bottled’ the Parkhead post, insisting his decision was logistical.

‘Yes, so during the time I was off I had a few job offers, but I said I wouldn’t consider anything for a year.

‘That year was over and Celtic came up and I was immediately attracted to the job. I thought, “Wow, what an opportunity. What a football club.”

‘Great people too. The people I met were incredible. So there was no downside for me, but I did have to get my staff together.

“For me, if I went to a football club, I could have gone on my own and worked with the staff there.

‘I felt I had to be at my strongest. My strongest would have been with my team, so that’s Jason Tindall, Steven Purches, Simon Weatherstone and Dan Hodges. These are important people to me.

“So I had kind of made my decision. I was really looking forward to going. Jason had left Bournemouth but I couldn’t get them together. I couldn’t get the team to all agree. And it wasn’t necessarily that I needed them all. But that is of course an important dynamic.

“And I felt like it wasn’t right for me to take this opportunity. It would have been wrong for Celtic at that point too, I think. That’s why I rejected the offer.’

MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE COFFEE STOP

The days when footballers retired and invested their savings in pubs appear to be over.

The modern trend seems to be more focused on investing in restaurants and coffee shops. Any Celtic fan spending a few days in Zagreb this week could get two copies for the price of one.

Right in the heart of the city lies Boban’s – a delicious eatery owned by former Dinamo Zagreb and AC Milan legend Zvonimir Boban.

A little harder to find (but definitely worth it) is a coffee shop called Non Plus Ultra – which translates as No Higher Point.

The man who pours the perfect cup of espresso? None other than former Parkhead striker Mark Viduka.

It is located on the north side of the city, in the hills, as the name suggests. Tennis legend Goran Ivanisevic is among the regular guests.

The former Australia international, who joined Celtic from Dinamo Zagreb in 1998, has never fully revealed why he was absent for a short period shortly after moving to Glasgow.

For the price of a taxi and a cappuccino, any Celtic supporter who remains intrigued by that strange episode might finally get his answer.

COULD THE JAPANESE STAR TURN OUT TO BE THE ONE WHO WAS GONE?

It wasn’t just the signings of players like Arne Engels and Adam Idah that made Celtic’s summer transfer window the best in a long time.

The club also did well to bring over some fringe players, and for decent money too.

Sead Haksabanovic, Oh Hyeon-gyu, Yuki Kobayashi and Mikey Johnston all had plenty of chances, but they never looked like they would make it at Parkhead. Whatever they go on to achieve in their careers, the decisions to move them forward were right.

However, one wonders whether the club will ultimately regret it if Tomoki Iwata leaves the premises.

The Japanese midfielder rarely started under Ange Postecoglou or Brendan Rodgers, but always seemed to have a pedigree.

He has been nothing short of a revelation since signing for Birmingham City for an undisclosed fee last summer.

The 27-year-old has already scored six goals in sixteen games. He scored just one goal in 42 runs in green and white.

Iwata won the League One Player of the Month award in September, has been instrumental in taking the Blues to third place, just one point behind first place, and is already a fan favorite.

Manager Chris Davies, Rodgers’ number 2 for a long time, can hardly believe his luck.

The hotel choice leaves much to be desired

Football teams tend to leave no stone unturned in their preparations for big matches.

The choice of hotel for away matches is an example of this. In search of comfort, peace and quiet, the staff is sent in advance to find the guests who meet all requirements.

These are usually just outside the city, but still close enough to the stadium and away from unnecessary distractions.

Given that Zagreb is a city of around 700,000 inhabitants and a huge choice of hotels, the sight of the Scottish national team checking into the Westin in October was a bit strange.

With a central location, the hotel would always be filled with supporters. While the team took up an entire floor and was uninterrupted, it wasn’t ideal when it came to players or staff moving around as they pleased.

So it was strange to see Celtic’s official side checking into the same hotel on Monday.

There were also about 200 supporters at the Westin. They were all on their best behavior, but it did make the task of getting the players, staff and all the equipment to the bus before the game a bit difficult.

After all, there is a time and a place to mingle with your fanbase,

Given how recently Scotland was there, a phone call from Celtic Park to Hampden to find out the lay of the land might have been wise.

SADIKU CAN BE AN INSPIRATION FOR CELTS

Celtic women’s head coach Elena Sadiku was last week nominated for coach of the year at the 2024 FIFA Best Awards.

Speaking ahead of her side’s clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, the 31-year-old Swede said of her nomination: ‘Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something because you are young and a woman. ‘

She will hope her side, who have already been eliminated, are sufficiently inspired against the Spanish giants.