Will Celtic really sell Sviatchenko now?

18 months ago Erik Sviatchenko arrived just as Celtic needed him most. He helped to stabilize a shaky central defense that saw the best players moving beyond the team.

However, since his early go with the team, Sviatchenko has been overtaken for most first team appearances by the likes of Jozo Simunovic and Dedryk Boyata. Both have rounded in to excellent form with the arrival of manager Brendan Rodgers and he seems to fancy their partnership the most.

Now, reports in Scotland and elsewhere make it clear that talks are underway for an exit from Paradise. The biggest name seems to be Turkish side Besiktas, who initially wanted a loan move, but were rebuffed by the club.

Sviatchenko’s agent, Allan Bak Jensen, has made it clear that moves are afoot:

"“There might be something happening to Erik. He was close to being sold last winter and he probably has been inside and outside of the team at Celtic. There is some interest in Turkey and there is some interest from England, but I do not want to say which clubs it is about.”"

This move makes little sense right now. Sure, offloading a player that may be surplus to efforts and recouping the £1.5 million spent makes sense. But, there also has to be a plan in place to replace him.

Should Rodgers sell Sviatchenko off, it leaves the Bhoys extra thin at the back. Efe Ambrose is gone (thank god), so it is Emilio Izagurrie and Kolo Toure is prepping for a life as a football coach these days.

Where exactly is the cover?

Kristoff Ajer is nowhere near ready for the Champions League level he just played at on Wednesday night, let alone a matchup with Barcelona, Chelsea or Real Madrid.

Shouldn’t the club have a replacement in mind or even be linked to a player before considering this kind of move? To that end, Celtic were linked with what-away and troubled QPR star Steven Caulker.

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Those talks appear to have stalled out, or at least died down in the press and even if he is brought in, that’s a project and not a plug-and-play situation. Caulker’s drinking issues and his fitness level will require a lot more matienence than just keeping a solid Sviatchenko in the mix.

Celtic also don’t have a long pipeline of youth talent at the position. Anthony Ralston made his first team debut last season, but that kind of a move would require Mikael Lustig to make a permanent move inside and see Cristian Gamboa as the first-team option on the right of defense.

That was something we saw at times last season, but it barely solves the issue at hand for the long term. Selling Sviatchenko and forcing that kind of move takes time, and that isn’t something Celtic have right now.

It isn’t as if Celtic have an all-important second leg tie with a Norwegian side in the Champions League qualifiers coming up or anything. God forbid you give your side the flexibility needed to complete a difficult victory on the road.

Offloading Sviatchenko in the next week makes little sense.

Doing so following whatever happens in the second leg at Rosenborg? Now I could see that. It gives Sviatchenko a chance to showcase himself in the first team if needed, but even that is of little consequence since he missed out on Wednesday night’s match with an injury.

Let’s just say this is the silly season at its height of silliness.

The timing is all wrong, the depth in the squad is all wrong and the lack of names in play to replace him are all wrong.

Celtic need to buy before they sell any more at this point. What was an over-bloated squad when Rodgers arrived just one year ago has become a thin squad to say the least. Selling Sviatchenko now makes zero sense.

Next: Celtic show glaring need for depth in draw with Rosenborg

Show me a plan and then I say offloading him for a transfer fee makes some sense. Until then, I’m not believing a thing put out by an agent.