Five fringe players Celtic can manage without if funds need to be raised

It’s become clear that football isn’t going to start again soon, so it makes sense that clubs are finding ways to save money.

Celtic are no different, as talk of cutting wages starts to make the news, so it’s reasonable to think that the club might have to run with a slightly smaller budget going forward.

No one really knows what the transfer market will look like next Summer, but here’s a look at some players that could be sold to raise funds through transfer fees and saved wages if necessary:

Craig Gordon – Goalkeeper

This might be dependent on Fraser Forster staying on a permanent basis, but even if a deal couldn’t be agreed with Southampton it would still make sense. Entering a season with Gordon and Scott Bain would be essentially having two back-ups fighting over a starting spot, and it would be a worry – especially in Europe. It’s hard to say if much of a fee could be raised, but his wage could go somewhere else and Ross Doohan has impressed at Ayr, so he could easily fill his space in the squad if needed.

Olivier Ntcham – Midfield

This might seem harsh because he’s clearly a fantastic player, but selling him would make sense if the board need to raise funds. He tends to back up Brown and McGregor in the deeper roles, while Rogic and Christie will be preferred to play behind the striker. New arrival Ismaila Soro will always be pushing for a first team spot, so he could be expendable. In the past we’ve seen talk of a fee of around £15m being needed for his services – that might be unrealistic but he seems the most valuable of the fringe options at the club.

Jonny Hayes – Everywhere

While it might be tempting to extend his contract at the end of the season, he doesn’t have any real long term value to the team and he doesn’t bring much quality. Clearly Lenny trusts him and his versatility is an asset, but a lot of money was spent on Taylor and Bolingoli so they need to be trusted going forward. He’s had some great moments and he’s certainly done more than expected, but if the club is making cuts then carrying a third left back when others could cover in an emergency can’t really be justified.

Vakoun Bayo – Striker

He got injured at the worst possible time so we’ve never had a chance to see what he could bring with an extended run in the team, but it’s hard to see a situation where he’s needed. Griffiths is the clear person to turn to if a goal is needed, Eddy is the established starter and Klimala takes the spot as a pacey prospect who will get time here and there. Even if Eddy moved on, the fans would demand a big name replacement so Bayo would be left in a similar spot. It’s not necessarily his fault, but he should be looking to move for the sake of his career.

Marian Shved – Midfield/Forward

The signing of the Ukranian still seems suspicious when Brendan Rodgers made comments suggesting that he hadn’t really seen him play, and he’s barely had a chance in the team. Realistically he’s behind several others for any of the forward positions and he turns 23 in the Summer, so this seems like a good time for him to move on. Celtic have Mikey Johnston, Karamoko Dembele and Ewan Henderson who are pushing for minutes in a similar position, so it could make sense for everyone.

Hopefully the club aren’t pushed into a position where they need to let one of their star players go, so losing a few fringe players could help the budget if required.

 

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Still trying to figure out exactly why Vidar Riseth hammered the ball across his own goal line that night in Perth....

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