Neil Lennon reveals why Olivier Ntcham was unhappy at Celtic

Olivier Ntcham has always been viewed as one of the most technically gifted players that Celtic had in their ranks. But it is hard not to feel that for quite some time now, he wanted to leave the club and his performances on the pitch suffered as a result of it.

It was not too long ago that the midfielder was rated at an around £13 million. But with just a solitary goal and two assists to his name this season, the club were forced to let him leave on a loan to Marseilles, which has a £4.5 million buy on clause!

It was under Brendan Rodgers that Ntcham had looked his best and ever since the manager’s departure, both his performances and his involvement have been on a downward spiral. As a result, it was the right time for both parties to part ways.

According to Neil Lennon, it was not the club that the Frenchman was unhappy with but his life in Glasgow. While speaking with BBC Sportsound and as cited by 67 Hail Hail, he said:

"“It’s not the club that he’s unhappy with. I think it’s just his life in Glasgow.“He was a bit fed up and indifferent about the Scottish game, and I think he wanted a new challenge, like a few of them have maintained since the start of the season. It’s a difficult thing to claw them back in. He’s a talented player.“This time last year he was absolutely superb, between January and March. Between then and the lockdown, something got disconnected with Olivier; he couldn’t get that desire or passion back to play.”"

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Ntcham could have achieved much more at Celtic

It is hard not to feel that the Frenchman failed to reach his potential during his time at Celtic. The talent has never been a question with him but he never quite managed to achieve a consistency while playing for the Hoops.

That does not mean that he cannot be a success back in France though. Perhaps he has always wanted a move back and will now show the true range of his abilities, which could hurt as a Celtic fan as the club are letting him go for just £4.5 million, not a lot in the current market considering his youth and potential.

Things have not started off well for Ntcham at Marseille though as it is clear that he was not a signing that Andre Villas-Boas wanted and the manager has even talked about resigning as a result of the move.