An update has emerged on Celtic defender Greg Taylor, regarding his future at Parkhead under Ange Postecoglou.
What’s the talk?
According to the Daily Record, Celtic are in talks with the left-back over a contract extension for the defender, with his current deal due to expire in 2023.
The report claims he could put pen to paper on a two or three-year extension that comes with a wage increase to reward him for his performances on the pitch.
Does Taylor deserve a new deal?
Yes
No
Delight
This fresh development on Taylor will surely leave Celtic fans feeling delighted as a new contract would secure the player’s long-term future at the club.
Taylor may not have been a fan favourite in the early parts of his Celtic career, drawing criticism from some supporters at the start of the 2020/21 campaign, but he has improved over the course of the past 12 months or so and has established himself as a key player.
He averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.97 in the Scottish Premiership last season, losing 47% of his ground duels on the pitch. However, he has shown visible signs of progress this term, averaging an exceptional rating of 7.15 and winning 77% of his ground duels in the Premiership.
The £8.2k-per-week beast was lauded by some fans for his performance against Jablonec earlier this season and he’s also earned praise from James McFadden, with the former Scotland international hailing him earlier in 2021. He said:
“Greg Taylor, for me, has been brilliant since coming back into the side. He offers so much more down that left-hand side than Diego Laxalt because he’s got that a final pass.
“That was a brilliant pass into Edouard. He picks him out really well and there’s good pace on it. It allows Edouard to do his stuff.”
This shows that he has gone from being a player some fans were less than pleased with to one who they could get excited about staying at the club. His statistical improvement in the league suggests that he is on an upwards trend and, at the age of 23, there could be more to come from Taylor under Postecoglou.
Consequently, keeping him at the club for the long-term should come as a huge boost to the manager. That’s especially when you consider their problems at left-back where Taylor remains the only consistent option ahead of the lesser-spotted Boli Bolingoli and teenager Adam Montgomery.
Therefore, supporters could be delighted with this news that he is in talks over a new deal. If the club can get it over the line then it could be a boost to the long-term future of the club, as Taylor could be the first-choice number three for many years to come.
AND in other news, Postecoglou may be about to repeat Celtic’s van Dijk nightmare, fans would fume…