Soccer Football - Scottish Premiership - Celtic v Aberdeen - Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - July 31, 2022 Celtic players in a huddle before the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Brendan Rodgers is still hoping that Greg Taylor will commit his future to Celtic.
The defender is out of contract at the end of the season with no sign of a breakthrough despite apparent goodwill from both sides.
Last month Rodgers confirmed that Kieran Tierney will be back at Celtic next season, presumably as first choice left back.
Taylor joined Celtic from Kilmarnock a month after Tierney’s £25m move to Arsenal, after making more than 200 appearances it seems inevitable that next season he will be playing his football elsewhere.
At the age of 27, becoming a free agent puts Taylor in the strongest possible negotiating position with no urgency to come to a decision.
Rodgers has stuck by the former Kilmarnock man since he returned to Celtic in June 2023 but while several team-mates have extended their contracts time is running out on Taylor’s second Celtic contract.
He knows Kieran well and he knows his qualities and his abilities but there still can be room for two of them here.
There’s absolutely no doubt, you know, in an upward of 35 to 60 games a season, we can’t play one player and I wouldn’t want to play one player in all of those because you’re just not going to have the right physicality, you’re going to need an intensity.
So, to have two players of that quality here would be brilliant for the club, for the team and obviously for the changing room. So that’s probably the things that Greg has to think about. From my perspective, I don’t see it as a problem because I know he’ll play a lot of games, he’ll play big games and like I said, as with Kieran.
So, he has to decide for himself that it would be a different role for him but it’s not something that we still can’t conclude.
Celtic have still to announce the signing of Tierney, at the media conference ahead of the Champions League tie at Aston Villa Rodgers revealed that the defender would be at Celtic next season.
At right-back Rodgers has had Tony Ralston and Alistair Johnston available for selection with the Canadian internationalist the clear first choice.
If GT is ambitious, then after the KT signing – he has to leave now?
Staying means accepting a demotion to back up for KT?
I think sadly with KT’s injuries record and The Thuggery that goes unpunished in Good Old Bonnie Scotland that Greig would get more than his fair share of games at Celtic next season !
I think it’s the length of the contract that’s the problem Taylor is always up for the challenge
I don’t get the assumption that GT will be demoted to a bench warmer on the return of KT. There is always room for two quality players for any one position. Rotation keeps players match fit, and happy, and you then have an easy transition when substituting during a match. A happy squad is a winning squad!
Furthermore how can anyone say that staying at Celtic lacks ambition? What is a players ambitions, is it not to be the best you can be and win trophies? Staying at Celtic Park ticks all the boxes for me. Get the finger out Board and give GT the reward of a better contract, a contract he deserves.
If Taylor has signed a pre- contract with another team then I wish him well, however Rodgers keeps saying that he wants the club to give him a new contract but yet no word of any progress.
Whatever you think of him Taylor has been a good fit for Celtic over the years and deserves some sort of recognition with an improved contract.
Another point I would like to highlight is that Taylor could easily cover both the left back and left midfield roles.