What should Celtic do with Joe Ledley’s contract offer?

With Joe Ledley on his way to Crystal Palace it looks like a disappointing transfer window for Celtic fans with expectations diminishing by the day.

Having signed Ledley on a Bosman deal in 2010 any fee from Crystal Palace will officially be a profit but it’s hard to replace his quality with £800,000.

Securing the Welshman onto a new deal would have been a great achievement but having steered Celtic to three titles and sampled the Champions League a move to the Premiership has obvious appeal.

Signing Stefan Johansen provides a midfield replacement for Ledley with Nir Biton and Liam Henderson staking their claims for increased top team action.

The departure of Ledley to join Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama in England is an inevitable but painful blow for Celtic fans to accept but there is one deal that the club can surely complete that will gain universal approval.

From his debut three years ago against Aberdeen at Hampden Kris Commons has been nothing but a credit and asset to Celtic- underlined by an incredible 13 goal haul during  December and January.

Commons’ contract ends in June but with the option of a one year extension the goalscoring midfielder will be around for the summer Champions League qualifying campaign.

Although he doesn’t have the ‘glamour’ of Ledley or Georgios Samaras, in terms of his return on the park the £300,000 spent bringing Commons from Derby is without doubt Neil Lennon’s best signing.

With the gradual break-up of Lennon’s first Celtic side awarding Commons a new three year contract reflecting his contribution to the club would be more rewarding than any ‘last minute transfer swoop’.

Retaining some sort of continuity is essential if the club is to build on it’s foothold as credible Champions League opponents. Where Virgil van Dijk and Fraser Forster will be in a years time is anyone’s guess but by retaining Commons alongside Scott Brown, Anthony Stokes, Charlie Mulgrew and Emilio Izaguirre standards can be maintained and built on.

Transfer policy is always open to debate as the situations with Ledley, Samaras and Leigh Griffiths demonstrate.

Hearing Commons discussing his new three year contract would be the best news the Celtic support could hear with the players commitment, professionalism and ability unquestionable.