Celtic haven’t had as active a summer transfer window as some would have thought. Outside of a transfer-and-loan deal for Jonny Hayes and two younger signings things have been quite for the Bhoys.
But, as the squad begins to take shape for the 2017-18 season, it appears manager Brendan Rodgers is about to get bolder. Rumblings surrounding two big names in the squad have grown in the past few days.
On Monday, Rodgers was about as honest as we’ve ever seen him in regards to player movement. He indicated that long-serving defender Emilio Izaguirre is likely to move on to opportunities outside of European football.
💬 BR on Izaguirre: "He's come back in and been training. There's maybe an opportunity for him to go elsewhere outside of Europe." #UCL
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) July 18, 2017
It appears a matter of when, not if, for Izzie. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see him make a move back to the North American continent. MLS could be a good home, while a return to his native Honduras at the age of 31.
💬 BR: "It's something we'll speak with him and his agent about and then we’ll take it from there." #UCL
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) July 18, 2017
That isn’t the only bigger move that could be in the offing. Perhaps the biggest thing to watch in the coming days and week is the future of midfield dynamo Stuart Armstrong. After putting up a banner year last season, Armstrong is wanting a new contract at Celtic. However, it seems unlikely to happen given the terms he’s been demanding from the club.
He’s also been a target for teams in England just based on last season’s performance alone.
Now, news of his contract impasse and interest from West Bromwich Albion. West Brom joins Southampton and Brighton as teams all linked with the player in the past few weeks.
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Those two players leaving may be a bit of shock, but with a quickly evolving midfield that saw newcomer Olivier Ntcham play a big role against Olympic Lyon, Armstrong’s contract demands suddenly aren’t from a position of strength.
Izzie has been a great servant to the club, but he has been in decline in terms of ability for a year or two. Moving closer to his native Honduras would also make sense at this point in his career and getting something in return should be interesting to the club.
The bigger question is if there is going to be a market for players like Nir Bitton or if a big-money move for Moussa Dembele or Kieran Tierney end up coming to fruition.
But, it also means Celtic are likely far from done in terms of bringing players in to the side. Izzie needs to be replaced, as there isn’t a lot of cover along the defensive group to begin with. Armstrong has his direct replacement, but Celtic likely needs some cover in the midfield anyway.
It all will add up to an interesting next month as the squad looks to get back to the Champions League proper.