Celtic boss confirms that midfielder is looking to leave

Celtic have been pretty active in the summer transfer window. They have seen their fair share of incomings and outgoings over the past several weeks. Six new players have arrived at the club in the form of Marco Tilio, Odin Thiago Holm, Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Yang Hyun-jun, Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke. On the other hand, key players like Jota and Carl Starfelt have departed as have a few others.

While fans will be hoping for more signings over the coming days, there could be a few exits to come as well. One midfielder in particular seems to be looking towards the exit door.

That player is none other than James McCarthy. He had grown up a Celtic supporter but his run at Parkhead has proven to be a bit of a nightmare. He has never got his foot in the team and now, it looks like an exit makes sense for both parties even though he still has a couple of years left on his contract.

As reported by Glasgow Times, Brendan Rodgers said:

"“I feel real shame for James, because growing up he was obviously a Celtic supporter.“I saw him a lot down in the Premier League and he was a fantastic talent there both with Wigan and Everton.“Sadly for James, a few injuries and a few niggles have curtailed his time here, so he will be looking to move on.“But he’s a great guy. He trained really well with the group when I first came in here and I’ve had a couple of really good conversations with him, but he’ll be looking to move on.“I think there has been interest, and I know that his agent has been talking to the club to see if we can find a compromise for him.”"

Celtic boss confirms that midfielder is looking to leave

On top of his game, McCarthy was a Premier League-level midfielder and had been linked with Celtic several times over the years. Injuries have been a problem for him for quite a while though.

Thus, many Celtic fans were uncertain about the move when it was made in the summer of 2021. Yes, McCarthy was a proven and experienced midfielder, but there was risk involved in the move as well. And their fears have come true since then.

McCarthy has barely played any football for Celtic over the past two years. And now, his run looks set to come to an end. Of course, nothing has materialised yet and let’s hope that it does before the summer transfer window slams shut.