GREG TAYLOR is virtually a certain starter when Celtic face Phillipe Clement’s Ibrox side in the Premier Sports League Cup Final a week on Sunday.
Two weeks after the Hampden showpiece, the left-back will be allowed to talk to any interested clubs and could leave the champions as a free agent at the end of his contract in June.
The clock has been ticking on Taylor’s deal for some considerable time and negotiations among all parties appear to have hit a brick wall. Offers have been made and rejected.
Despite ringing endorsements from Brendan Rodgers, the defender, who celebrated his 27th birthday playing in his usual No.3 position in the 3-1 Champions League win over RB Leipzig just under a month ago, there seems to be no compromise in the talks between the player and the Hoops hierarchy.
Taylor won’t need your humble scribe to remind him the club normally wins in these situations.
PUSH OFF…Greg Taylor battles with Cammy Devlin for possession in Celtic’s 4-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle last month.
I am not privy to an individual’s wage demands, but I have been told a figure the Scotland international squad defender is looking for and, if the number is correct, he could be in danger of pricing himself out of the club’s range.
Yes, it’s a short career and Taylor and his agents will be savvy enough to acknowledge this is likely to be his last big pay day. He needs to secure his future and he has every right to weigh up the pros and cons before making a commitment.
Plus you have to factor into the equation the fact the man who cost £2.1million from Kilmarnock in September 2019 was recently married and will experience fatherhood in the near future. On a personal level, I am delighted for the guy, but his professional life could be on a dodgy course.
As far as I am aware, he is a voice in the dressing room and a presence welcomed by his gaffer and his team-mates.
However, by Rodgers’ own admission: “There comes a point where both sides have to understand what we’re thinking.
“If it’s not going to happen then, okay, we know that. We can then plan and prepare going forward, but I really hope it doesn’t get to that because I love working with Greg.”
You and I accept Taylor is one of the unsung and unheralded members of the first team. He is a steady performer who rarely does anything extraordinary to dominate headlines.
FUTURE UNKNOWN…there is no guarantee Alex Valle will extend his Celtic loan period from Barcelona at the end of the season.
If the player and the club do not find some middle ground in discussions, Celtic are heading for a problem in the summer. The loan situation with Barcelona’s Alex Valle is open to speculation and the 20-year-old could be heading back to Catalonia in the summer.
I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I am extremely wary of another player being sprung upon us for that particular position who just doesn’t measure up to expected standards.
In recent years, we’ve had the likes of Diego Laxalt and Boli Bolingoli thrust into the No.3 slot and I think I would be correct in saying neither will be go down the legends route when future supporters discuss the merits of players who have lined up in the green and white hoops with distinction in years gone by.
So many disgruntled players, with an enhanced opinion of their value, have left Celtic over the decades to find the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere.
I am not inferring even for a heartbeat Taylor falls into that category, but it would be worth remembering the next time he and his advisors get round the negotiating table in an attempt to find a solution to this saga before they reach the point of no return.
ALEX GORDON
