Celtic's best-performing centre-back has been tipped to leave the club should the right opportunity present itself. Cameron Carter-Vickers was highly criticised recently, but it was for his off-the-pitch comments rather than his performances on it.
Carter-Vickers expressed concern over how the team were playing after the second Rangers defeat, and many believed the comments should have been kept in-house.
But in terms of performances this season, Carter-Vickers has clearly been the most reliable centre-back, ahead of Auston Trusty, Liam Scales and Dane Murray. He is one of the few who hasn't given up a goal by losing his man, and he has been consistent.
Interest in his services wouldn't be a surprise, and according to Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider, Carter-Vickers could leave Celtic if the right opportunity comes knocking.
"There's been talk about Carter-Vickers leaving Celtic for a while now," O'Rourke said.
"Obviously he has done very well during his time at Celtic and he has become a key man in that defence under Martin O'Neill.
"But he turns 29 in December, Carter-Vickers, and I'm sure at some point he will look to move down to the Premier League because he has continued to be linked there.
"I don't see anything happening in January, he's still got a key role to play for Martin O'Neill's side and will be important for them this season.
"He's under contract at Celtic until 2029, so I don't think Celtic would be willing to weaken their squad by letting Carter-Vickers leave midway through the season."
This applies to everyone
While we don't know whether those claims are true, it realistically applies to everyone. Like it or now, every Premier League club can offer a better career opportunity than Celtic can due to the league they play in.
While not all the crowds are as big and while not all of the clubs are as big in terms of fanbase, the most profitable league in the world offers a shop window and career advancement like no other.
For that reason, any player in the Celtic squad is likely to have their head turned in the case of Premier League interest. There is no getting away from that, and it's just the nature of playing in a smaller league with fewer opportunities.
There was a time when Celtic at least had Champions League football to offer as a potential trump card, but no player is going to believe that is a realistic selling point at this point.
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