Andrew Gutman

College sports are huge over there. The high end of it are full of guys that’s have dedicated their lives to being athletes and footballers who will go onto be pros. This guy plays in the high end, he was voted the best college player.

He’s not a late bloomer. He’s been in that league because he’s been in college. Chicago Fire wanted him to leave college 2 years ago but he stayed. It’s not like he’s been there because he’s not been picked up.

 

Scottish giants Celtic has never been a club to feature many American players but the club swooped in for its second of the transfer window when it landed Indiana University left back Andrew Gutman who will join United States international attacker Tim Weah who is at the club on loan from Paris St. Germain.

Gutman, 22, recently completed a fantastic career at Indiana and was recently awarded the Hermann Trophy as the nation’s top college player. As a product of the Chicago Fire academy, Gutman had a homegrown contract offer from Chicago but elected to join the Scottish leaders instead.

Celtic boast a lot of youth talent including Scottish international left back Kieran Tierney, 21, who stands in the way of Gutman for the full-time left back role. But Tierney is out with and injury and is reportedly facing potential hip surgery. If he recovers well, he also could be sold. So there could potentially be an opening for Gutman if he makes a smooth transition from college to the professional ranks.

The decision of Gutman to sign with Celtic is a huge blow for the Chicago Fire which has a lot of holes on its roster. Earlier in the fall, starting left back Brandon Vincent abruptly retired at the age of 24. Now with Gutman leaving, left back is vacant. In addition, right back and central midfielder Matt Polster is mulling a potential move to fellow Scottish contenders Rangers

With Gutman’s deal with Celtic, it marks an impressive week for Indiana in terms of sending its players to the professional ranks. It was announced last week that Griffin Dorsey signed a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer.

http://americansoccernow.com/articl...lete-impressive-wave-of-hoosiers-to-pro-ranks

 

Each year the weakest team in the MLS get theo they get an advantage but these weaker teams can trade picks for players and other draft picks.

I understand that but football is not ranked as high even though it’s catching on. Look at his clips with the stadiums and look at the other college teams stadiums.

Most players in each sport know they are maybe one or two injuries away from not being in the draft and they stay in school to get a degree it’s not like over here and having a degree is a massive thing over there. I don’t understand it myself but going with what my wee cousin has told me as he has been through that system.

Loads of lads he has known have not even went to the draft and they have been good enough to get picked cause they got a better job offer away from football.

Most of the contracts are not good money at all because each team has a budget and most of that goes on players who arrive from Europe ect like Rooney, Beckham and co.

That’s why more and more American players are coming to Europe instead of going to colleage cause of the money.

It’s a good achievement to be voted college best player but it’s a massive step up from playing colleage football to full time at Celtic.

Time will tell like I said I hope he does well.

 

The popularity of football, the sizes of the college stadiums and the amount of fans doesn't have any correlation to the ability or potential of the players playing there.

Having a degree is big over there in sport because often they need to be achieving a certain level of academics to even play sports. They are driven by their motivation to be a pro athlete, it's actually a pretty clever system. So he's getting a degree, playing at a decent level to develop, then he can either go to the MLS or Europe. If it doesn't work he can fall back onto his degree, he's done it the right way.

Your cousins experience is a drop in the ocean, there's so many colleges, so many players. Gutman is at the top of the pile by the looks of it.

The lowest they make is about $51,500 a year, so about £40k. That's pretty good on the grand scheme of jobs out there.

College football to Celtic is a big step up, obviously. But our own youth system is a huge step to the first team and we are crying out for boys to get their chance. This guy is an MLS level player, they've been chasing him for years. Now their loss is our gain.

Absolutely no idea if he will be successful, but he's being written off already due to where he's coming from and that's not right.

 

Celtic have agreed a deal to sign American left-back Andrew Gutman.

The 22-year-old is poised to fly to Glasgow to apply for a work permit and discuss options for his future development.

Gutman spent a spell with Rangers on trial last month alongside compatriot Matt Polster.

While Polster has joined Steven Gerrard's side at their winter training camp in Tenerife, compatriot Gutman has opted for a move to Parkhead and will put pen to paper pending the outcome of a work-permit appeal.


Highly rated in college soccer with Indiana University, he could provide cover for Kieran Tierney after boss Brendan Rodgers refused to rule out surgery for the Scotland star.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...eltic-despite-trial-month-rivals-Rangers.html

 

A lot of “development” talk, but if KT does have surgery then this lad is going to be thrown in the deep end unless Brendan trusts Izzy.

 

You just know this will be spun as "Celtic sign Rangers reject" or some such pish by the media here.

 

Well he is hun reject.

 

That would imply the Huns rejected him, which they didn't.

 

How do you get a work permit for a player like him.

 

Apply for one..

 

Buy them from the shops.

 

Appeal, letters of recommendation etc, present a case for how he would be an asset to scottish football

 

Not a problem for our Tory board.

 

Kick an immigrant in the balls and shout "MURICA!!!!"

 

Kick an immigrant in the balls and shout "MURICA!!!!"

 

The barras sell them

 

Has this guy actually signed yet?

 

Nuthin ofishole..