Celtic could already be discussing an extension to Tom Rogic’s current deal at Parkhead.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to Alan Hutton, who stated his belief in a recent interview with Football Insider that, with the attacking midfielder’s contract set to expire in the summer of 2023, he would not be surprised if behind the scenes talks were already ongoing concerning the extension of the 29-year-old’s stay in Glasgow.
Speaking about the contractual situation of the Australia international, Hutton said: “You’d hope Celtic have learned their lesson. You don’t really want any of your kind of top assets to be walking away for next to nothing or running down contracts.
“He’s been a good servant and I think he’s come back into form since the new manager’s come in. He obviously trusts him.
“You’ve also got other players within the squad to come back, the likes of [David] Turnbull and these sort of guys. They’re in a good place right now but again, moving forward, you never want to lose a top player.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if there were talks going on in the background to try and tie him down to a longer deal. I’m kind of interested to see where it goes and what Celtic’s thinking is.
“Do they stick with the likes of Rogic? Or do they have somebody else in mind to really transform that midfield? It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. Ultimately, I still think you need someone like that in your squad.”
Do you think Rogic deserves a new deal?
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Postecoglou must seal Rogic deal
As Hutton suggests, considering how impressive Rogic has been since Ange Postecoglou’s arrival at Parkhead last summer, it would indeed appear something of a must for Celtic to tie the midfielder down to a new deal in the coming months.
Indeed, over his 26 Premiership appearances this season, the £1.35m-rated maestro has proven himself to be a key player for the 56-year-old, scoring six goals, registering six assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.7 key passes per game – with these returns seeing the £21.5k-per-week Aussie average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.02.
However, it was during the recent 2-1 Old Firm victory in which Rogic truly proved his worth to Celtic, taking four shots at the Rangers goal, completing two dribbles, making one tackle and winning five duels over his 62 minutes on the pitch – not to mention bagging the Hoops’ equaliser in the seventh minute.
These metrics saw the attack-minded midfielder earn a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.4, ranking him as the fourth-best player to feature in the match, while Rangers legend Ally McCoist also took the time to praise the 29-year-old’s performance, stating:
“The one player that really made the difference was Tom Rogic, particularly in the first 45 minutes. He was playing in pockets in front of the Rangers back four, he was picking the ball up, I thought he was different class.”
As such, while the 51-time capped international is undoubtedly getting into the twilight years of his career at the top level of Scottish football, it is clear for all to see that the player Marvin Bartley dubbed both an “absolute dream” and “magic” still has much to offer Celtic – leading us to believe that Postecoglou simply must secure the services of Rogic beyond the summer of 2023.
AND in other news: Sources: Deal now agreed for potential “£20m-plus” talent, it’s bad news for Celtic