The announcement that Tom Rogic has signed a new 3 year deal will no doubt be met with delight amongst Celtic supporters.

3 and a half years on from his arrival at Celtic, Rogic has now displayed his capabilities as a footballer, with the 15-16 season proving to be a real breakthrough one for Tom.

The majority of systems which Brendan Rodgers has deployed so far have lacked the inclusion of a number 10, but the offer of a new contract indicates that Brendan must have been impressed with what he has seen of Tom in training and in his appearances so far this season.

Having shown a touch of class at times last year it will be exciting to see if Rogic can continue to progress in a similar vein this year. If he can get up to the fitness levels required to compete for 90 minutes we will have a very accomplished player on our hands; one who is capable of creating chances from the middle of the park and who can score goals from distance. Two things the side currently lack.

Alongside my delight that Rogic has committed his future to the club until 2019; it would also be a rare treat (for me) to be proven correct with one prediction I made regarding our top prospects back in the summer of 2013. With Dylan McGeouch & Tony Watt having left the club, I’m relying on you now, Tom:

The New Stars for the Hoops (Archive: July 2013)

X-factor style football competitions such as Football’s Next Star have, ironically, yet to discover any real talents, but in Nike’s The Chance there appeared to be much more hope of unearthing something special. 
With their reputation as a global sports brand, Nike scoured the corners of the Earth in search of a new star and found Australia’s Tom Rogic. 

After a couple of years showcasing his skill in Oz, Neil Lennon gave Rogic his big break in European football with a move to Celtic in January. 

Joining a new side midway through the season can always be a struggle for a player, none more so than a twenty year old travelling across the globe to settle in a new country. 

Now though, after 6 months in Glasgow and with a handful of first team appearances to his name, including a man of the match debut up in Inverness, Tom is ready and raring to show everyone what he can do. 

With a style of play not dissimilar to Moussa Dembele, Tom Rogic appears to have that rare ability to glide past players effortlessly. 

Only Nakamura has come close to replicating the skill and vision of Lubo Moravcik in recent years, and now if he can fulfil his potential we could be looking at the new creative talisman of our side for a long time to come. 

I believe we will see massive strides of improvement from Tom throughout the season and if he can cement a place in the team I predict him to be a real standout player this year.