Nicholas is a mile off with midfielder call- opinion

Charlie Nicholas fears for the future of David Turnbull with Tomoki Iwata expected to be Ange Postecoglou’s next signing.

The former Arsenal striker believes that Turnbull could be eased aside by the arrival of another midfielder but the former Motherwell man is well used to Celtic signing midfielders.

This year alone Postecoglou has signed Reo Hatate, Matt O’Riley, Yosuke Ideguchi, Aaron Mooy and Oliver Abildgaard. It is very likely that Ideguchi and Abildgaard will be gone before Turnbull.

Hatate and O’Riley are the regular picks alongside fit-again Callum McGregor but after that Turnbull has had an important and regular contribution to make.

Picking up on his column in The Express, the Daily Record reports Nicholas saying:

With Tomoki Iwata likely to be Celtic’s latest arrival, the squad is looking increasingly heavy in midfield. If I was David Turnbull I would be worried, while James McCarthy’s days at the club seem numbered.

Captain Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley are two massive players in there. Along with Reo Hatate and Aaron Mooy, that’s four players already in front of Turnbull in the pecking order for starting slots.

The Scot, has been a peripheral figure for Ange Postecoglou and now faces a two-match ban for the red card he copped against St Johnstone on Christmas Eve. The capture of versatile Iwata – another player who can operate in central midfield – would limit the game time even more for Turnbull and McCarthy.

There will be turnover in Postecoglou’s squad every window, there is likely to be interest and bids coming in for Hatate and O’Riley in the not too distant future.

Free of the injuries that have hampered him for much of this year there is every likelihood that Turnbull has an important squad role to play as Postecoglou’s squad evolves, window by window.