Which players do Celtic need to move on this summer?
With the Scottish Premiership title and League Cup already in the bag and a Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen fast approaching, Celtic are well on course for another Treble.
The Hoops have reasserted their dominance of Scottish football this term in a fashion that has become customary at Paradise. And you can find the best odds for Celtic to complete a domestic clean sweep at FIRST.com.
But there has also been a degree of success in Europe this season, too.
Aside from an embarrassing 7-1 drubbing at the hands of Borussia Dortmund, Brendan Rodgers’ men punched above their weight within the new Champions League format. Progress from the group stage was highlighted by November’s 3-1 victory over RB Leipzig.
And elimination in the knockout phase playoffs came only after the Scottish champions gave Bayern Munich all they could handle over two legs before slipping to a narrow 3-2 aggregate defeat.
So there is plenty for Celtic fans to be cheerful about heading into the summer and a solid basis upon which Rodgers and his staff can build for more progress in Europe next season.
But before thoughts turn to tantalising potential transfer targets, there are a number of players with a bloated Celtic squad who will need to be moved on this summer.
Luis Palma
There were high hopes for Luis Palma when he was signed from Greek side Aris in 2023, but despite a solid return of 10 goals from 36 appearances in his first season at Celtic, he has failed to make the desired impact.
After a slow start to last season, the Honduran winger was loaned out to Olympiacos. But following just seven league outings and no goals, reports in Greece claim the 48-time Greek champions have no interest in making the move permanent.
However, according to the Scottish Sun, AEK Athens, PAOK and Panathinaikos are all keen to take the 25-year-old back to the Greek Super League.
Greg Taylor
Greg Taylor’s Parkhead future is likely out of Celtic’s hands at this point. The left-back – who was signed from Kilmarnock for £2million and has won five Scottish Premiership titles since moving to Glasgow – is set to be a free agent at the end of the season after rejecting the club’s offer of a new contract.
Rumours of a contentious switch to Rangers have been rebuffed, but the 27-year-old is reportedly a target for Dinamo Zagreb. Kieran Tierney’s imminent return to the Hoops from Arsenal means the issue of replacing Taylor is already solved.
Gustaf Lagerbielke
A £3m signing from Swedish side IF Elfsborg in 2023, Gustaf Lagerbielke struggled in his first season at Parkhead and was loaned out to FC Twente last season.
The imposing 25-year-old centre-back managed to pin down a regular place in the Eredivisie club’s line-up last term and rehabilitated his reputation to the point that there might be suitors willing to take him off Celtic’s hands on a permanent basis this summer.
Stephen Welsh
Once a promising rising star within Celtic’s academy and a regular for the Scotland youth teams up to the under-21 level, Stephen Walsh hasn’t been able to nail down a place in the senior side at Parkhead.
Since making his debut in 2019, the defender has never featured in more than 16 league games in a season for the Bhoys. A loan move to Belgian side Mechelen for the second half of last season provided Welsh with a taste of regular first-team football. At age 25, it’s time for him to seek more of the same away from his boyhood club.
Odin Thiago Holm
A central midfielder who legally changed his middle name due to an idolisation of Thiago Alcantara, Odin Thiago Holm has thus far shown little resemblance to the former Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool star since arriving at Parkhead in 2023.
The 22-year-old Norwegian has made just 12 appearances in the Scottish Premiership over the last two campaigns and he fared no better while on loan with Los Angeles FC for the second half of last season, featuring just twice for the MLS club.
