Manny Perez and Andrew Gutman join Celtic with eye to the future

CELTIC are delighted to confirm the club has signed young American players Andrew Gutman and Manny Perez on three-and-a-half-year contracts.

Manny (above left) has represented USA at Under-20 level and has been named Player of the Year in the USA Soccer Development Academy. Andrew (above in the Hoops) is the most recent recipient of the Hermann Trophy in America, one of the most prestigious awards for young players in the USA.

Both players will continue their development through loan moves back in the USA. We welcome Manny and Andrew to the club and look forward to both players joining up with Celtic in the future.

Manny said: “It is a huge honour to sign with Celtic FC, one of the biggest clubs in football. From my time visiting Glasgow, it was clear to see the scale, the spirit and the professionalism of the club.

"I am happy to be a part of Celtic and during this next period I will be working hard at my loan club in the USA to continue my development. I look forward to joining up with Celtic in the near future."

Andrew said: “When I realised Celtic FC wanted to sign me permanently, I was really honoured. I know Celtic is a huge name in football, they have tremendous supporters and it is a club where I believe I can flourish as a player.

"For the immediate period I will be focusing on my loan in America where I look forward to playing as many matches as I can. After that, I can’t wait to join Celtic and be part of such a storied institution.”

 

Looking forward to getting a look at Perez in the summer..

 

Finally ffs.

Welcome lads

More excited by the Perez lad as well.

 

Happy with this.

But leaving it til tonight to confirm is just a * * take. We always do it these days. Players we have known for a while who will be Celtic players and confirm them on deadline day at night.

 

Hello and goodbye. Hopefully we will see them at some stage, during their development, in Scotland.

 

Thought both deals were dead.

As was the aim of the board.

 

this was done weeks ago. celtic taking the *.

 

Genuinely hate when we do this. Sign people then shift them on loan.
Its like buying a new car but goin, nah * it. Ill no drove it hame. Ill pick it up later. My old yeen is fine the noo.

 

Genuinely could be that it takes time to get all the details of a contract sorted.

 

I don’t think we do it enough, sometimes get people in and just let them rot. Get them to keep improving and get them in when we’re ready. We need to get promising players earlier these days, before they’re quite ready for us. That’s when we’ll be competing with others.

It’s how we lost out on Benkovic.

 

Who else have we done it with, I can’t think?

 

So we had him on trial been in contact for weeks but it took the til 6pm on the last day of the window to get it over the line? I don’t think so.

 

Do you think that isn't plausible?

Anyway, why does it matter?

 

Gutman was AWOL cos he was celebrating the deal with a week long bender.

 

I smell deadwood

 

GUTMAN LATEST RECIPIENT OF MAC HERMANN TROPHY AS TOP COLLEGE SOCCER PLAYER
NASHVILLE (January 31, 2019) – Nashville Soccer Club has acquired Celtic F.C. defender Andrew Gutman on loan for the 2019 USL Championship season, pending league and federation approval. Gutman recently signed with Celtic, the top team in the Scottish Premiership, after a hugely successful college soccer career at Indiana University that saw him recently awarded the MAC Hermann Trophy as the top player in men’s collegiate soccer in 2018.

“Andrew has demonstrated the ability to excel on both sides of the ball, and at a high standard,” said Nashville SC VP of soccer operations and technical director Mike Jacobs. “We are excited about being able to add him to our group here.”

Gutman, 22, played four seasons at Indiana and racked up numerous honors throughout his collegiate career. He missed just one game at Indiana throughout his career, playing in 90 of 91 games between 2015-2018. Gutman led the Hoosiers to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including the National Championship game in 2017. As a defender, he scored 20 goals and had 17 assists in four years, including 11 goals and nine assists as a senior in 2018. In addition to winning the Hermann Trophy in 2018, Gutman was named TopDrawerSoccer.com’s National Player of the Year and a First Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches.

“Once I heard about this opportunity, I was super excited,” said Gutman. “Nashville is a great city, and they have built a very strong team. I am ready meet the guys, get to work and am excited to contribute in any way possible to this club. I want to thank Celtic F.C. for giving me the chance to grow as a player in Nashville. To the Nashville SC fans, I cannot wait to meet you and play in front of the best fans in the nation.”

Since finishing his college eligibility, Gutman has been playing in Scotland. He trialed with Rangers F.C. of the Premiership before trailing and signing with Celtic. Classified as a Homegrown Player for the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer, Gutman played in the Chicago Fire’s youth academy throughout high school.

Player Release Bio
Name: Andrew Gutman
Position: Defender
Height: 6’0”
Weight 170
Date of Birth: October 2, 1996
Age: 22
Hometown: Hinsdale, Ill.
Citizenship: U.S.A.
Last Club: Celtic F.C.
How Acquired: Loan on January 31, 2019
https://www.nashvillesc.com/news_article/show/990435