TM: Fortune will make big impression

09 July 2009 15:54
The 28-year-old French Guiana-born striker became Mowbray's first signing as Hoops boss when he completed his move from Nancy for a reported £3.8million. He will now be expected to hit the ground running as Celtic face the dual task of qualifying for the Champions League and wresting the SPL title back from bitter rivals Rangers next season. Mowbray is well aware of the demands which will be placed on a player who commanded such a hefty price tag, but believes Fortune's talent will speak for itself once the new campaign gets under way. "I genuinely try to judge footballers on their talents," he said. "I don't set the prices. I just say 'I like this player, can it happen?' If it can, great. "I would suggest there will be players who will come in for very little money and might become big superstar footballers. "I don't want to be flippant about it but the cost, to me, doesn't really impact on me. "If I'm judged on Marc and how he performs on the football field as a player, I've got no fears about his talent. "The supporters will see his talent when he holds the ball, when he manoeuvres around the pitch, when he scores a goal, when he creates a goal for a team-mate. "There is no disguising talent so I've got no fears about that. I like to work with talented players and I've got no fears that Marc won't impress people. He is good at what he does." Asked whether he has already spent the bulk of his summer budget, Mowbray added: "I don't think there is a transfer budget as such, it's not something we've openly discussed. "You come into the job with your eyes wide open, there are no surprises. I would anticipate, potentially over the summer, there might be some movement in and out but let's wait and see." Fortune - who played under Mowbray while on loan at West Brom in the second half of last season - also had offers to remain in the Barclays Premier League. Mowbray said: "Some players love football and I think Marc likes football. As well as being a football player, he has a love of the game. "For me, the biggest draw is the history, the tradition, the size, the supporters and the family of Glasgow Celtic. That was a big draw for him. "In life, finances and looking after your family is very important in any person's job. Sometimes you have decisions to make and I think Marc has made a football decision. "Were the offers from the Premier League tempting? I'm sure they were because the English Premier League, as he found for the last four or five months of last season, is a wonderful place to play your football. "Yet, when you walk into this stadium it can take your breath away, looking at the size of the place. We all want to be successful here and Marc has taken that opportunity." Fortune claims Mowbray was the biggest influence in his decision to choose the east end of Glasgow. "Celtic is a massive club and that's why I made my decision," he said. "I already worked with Tony Mowbray so that's why I'm here. We talked a lot and he told me how to position myself on the pitch and gave me confidence. "It's my job as a striker to score goals and I want to score here. I want to play good football and make the fans happy." Fortune's Nancy team-mate, Landry N'Guemo, looks set to complete a season-long loan move in the next 48 hours as Mowbray begins to put his own stamp on the squad he inherited from Gordon Strachan. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Paul Hartley, who signed for Bristol City on Monday, have already been told they are surplus to requirements. Although more ins and outs are expected at Parkhead over the coming weeks, Mowbray insists he has no intention of swinging the axe. "We will try to build the team over a period of time," he said. "I've not come in here thinking I'm going to take a big axe to the squad because the squad has shown over the last few years that it's more than capable of winning the SPL and doing pretty well in Europe, so there is no need to do that. "We have some very talented footballers here. Every coach wants to try to put his own touch on things and I'm just starting that process."

Source: Team_Talk