GREG TAYLOR: CELTIC MAKE APPARENT NEW CONTRACT BREAKTHROUGH
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Apr 18
- 3 min read
I don’t usually like to go with something printed in the Daily Record as a valid news source.
However, other independent sources have validated what I’m about to say so I think its ok to move forward with this story.
Greg Taylor May Yet Sign a New Contract at Celtic
It appears Celtic have decided to have another go at convincing Greg Taylor to sign a new contract and stay in Glasgow.
The Daily Record report claims that Celtic are set to offer Greg Taylor a new and improved 3-year contract. This would keep the defender at Celtic until 2028.
Certainly, this would tie in with what Brendan Rodgers said in his post-match comments last weekend.
He seemed determined to keep Taylor, and was far more positive about the situation than he has appeared to be in other recent interviews.
My hope is that this new contract speculation turns out to be genuine.
It would show not only forward thinking from the Celtic Board, but also bodes well for Brendan Rodgers’ own future at the club.
His very public show of confidence in Taylor, a player who has at times divided opinion amongst the Celtic support, was a clear signal to the Celtic board that keeping Taylor was a priority for him ahead of making additional signings this summer.
As many have speculated, and I tend to agree, whether or not Brendan Rodgers commits to a longer term deal as Celtic manager will depend largely on whether or not the money men at Celtic can match his hopes and ambitions for player recruitment this summer.
So, in other words, getting Taylor on board could, I think, be read as a sign that Rodgers himself is also ready to sign up to a longer term plan at Celtic.
The obvious drawback for Taylor, when considering any new Celtic deal, is Kieran Tierney coming home to Celtic Park this summer. However, I don’t necessarily see this as a negative for Taylor.
Even with the return of Kieran Tierney, Taylor will still have an important part to play. Though I think the constant highlighting of Kieran Tierney’s past injuries in the media is overblown, he will need to be rested at different points next season, as will all our top players.
However, there is also the subject of positional rotation.
At different times, both for Arsenal and for Scotland, Tierney has played as a center back, most commonly with Scotland to accommodate Liverpool’s Andy Robertson at left-back.
Throughout this season all three of our best center backs, namely Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and Liam Scales, have missed a few games with injury.
Having Taylor available as a left-back could allow Tierney to slot in on the left side of central defence.
So, whilst most of the talk is about one replacing the other, there is a clear and coherent strategy where Celtic could play both Tierney and Taylor at the same time.
It all coms down to what Greg Taylor feels is more important. The reality is, he won’t be playing Champions League football if he leaves Celtic. Most of the current interest, aside from Dynamo Zagreb, seems to be in either the English Championship or the American MLS. No disrespect to those leagues, by leaving Celtic to join any clubs in those set-ups is a step down.
I guess the ultimate question is, does Taylor want to be part of squad that wins things and competes at the highest level, or play every week in for a team that views mediocrity as an achievement?
It’s not an easy choice, but I think Celtic may have the upper hand on this one, especially since Dynamo Zagreb, Taylor’s likeliest destination, sacked their manager last week.
At the moment, it’s a case of wait and see. First we’ve got a Scottish Cup semi-final to take care of.
