IT never rains but it pours. After Celtic’s dreadful defeat last night in St Petersburg and ahead of the now vital trip to Aberdeen on Sunday, an Australian news channel has published a story claiming that Tom Rogic has rejected a new deal to stay at the club.
Rogic has 15 months remaining on his current contract and has had another injury hit season – not his first in his time at Celtic it has to be remembered.However on his day Rogic is the darling on many in the Celtic support and he will always be the player who scored that wonderful winner to complete the Invincible Treble last May. It was a wonderful moment from a wonderful player when his is in the side.
In their exclusive story The World Game claim that Rogic has been unimpressed by the terms of offer and is also unhappy about the game time he has had this season. He can hardly play if he’s injured, so we need to take this with a pinch of salt.
Here’s the main claim the site makes:
“It’s understood that Rogic, just back from a 10-week injury absence, was unimpressed by the terms on offer and coupled with a squeeze on game time this season, and the arrival of fellow midfielder Charly Musonda on an 18-month loan from Chelsea, is now contemplating his Celtic Park exit strategy,” the The World Game report.
With another Treble very much on and the World Cup ahead for Rogic you would think that his priority would be to get himself back in the starting eleven and regain his match fitness and form.
Charly Musonda, who other one nice back-heel against Hearts and a wonderful lobbed ball to assist Callum McGregor in the home tie against Zenit – who have drawn Leipzig incidentally (what might have been CSC) – has done very little to worry Rogic in terms of his contribution to date.
Also Musonda and Rogic were both introduced from the bench last night, with the Aussie going into the number 10 position and the Belgian youngster deployed out on the right wing.
With Paddy Roberts due back at Manchester City in May after his second loan period ends, there many be space for Musonda out there, although we’d all prefer Paddy to be signed.
As far as rejecting the offer and being unimpressed by the terms, then that’s his agent’s job to negotiated.
Let’s hope it all gets sorted out and Rogic is a Celtic player for a good few more years to come.
He is after all, rather special.
Always reject the first offer is the way of this game. He will need assurances of game time but Musonda has played wide and not in the number 10 role we all thought he would.
Few players in the last year of their contracts this summer. Stick or twist time.
If the reports are correct no-one takes initial offer. However if Rogic wants assurances of game time, then he should go on a pay for play deal as he has been paid plenty while injured or jetting off for weeks with Australia. Good player domestically, done nothing in Europe so unless he bucks up I’d be happy to move him on, definitely not irreplaceable. The ball is in our court he might get more money elsewhere with some midtable nondescrnipt English outfit who merely make up the numbers, a fixture filler or get down to some real work and make his mark at Celtic
Disagree there, think Rogic would be a huge loss to Celtic. Fair point that he has had long times spent on the sidelines injured, but when fit and available he is the type of player that has that bit of magic that can turn a game, something Celtic have certainly lacked at times this season. He has scored some really important goals for the club and it would be a shame to lose him.