Greg Taylor

Tbf mate I'm probably as fed up talking about him as folk are of reading my opinions on him. Think I'll steer clear of this thread for a while for my own sake.

No doubt a new deal will be announced tomorrow to set me off again though

 

Hes exactly what he should be. A really * good back up left back. Infact the exact kind we need. Good enough to fill in for periods of no Tierney without us really being weakened too badly. The ability to switch how we play with inverting. Hope he signs another deal.

 

If it isn't about money I think he would be making a big mistake by moving on. Most teams won't have 85% possession and give him the opportunity to play inverted. That's when/why he looks good as we'll have most of the ball and he isn't required to do much defending. Most teams he'll go to will want a more traditional LB. Overlapping required and prob lots more one on one defending. He'll struggle with those and find himself out the team is my guess.

He's perfect back up for us and is established and respected in the squad. He'll still see plenty of game time and with a wage increase and long contract he'd be mad to move on especially now with a new baby. The difficulties around upping sticks now and leaving the support network around him and his young family shouldn't be underestimated

 

I'd be more than happy with him as our backup for next season.

For me, he is more than good enough domestically, and it allows us to properly rotate Tierney, who'll likely start in Europe and the bigger domestic games. Also helps with the homegrown quota.

I also really like Schlupp, but I'd be surprised if he signed permanently.

 

We've seen we can't do multiple deals at once so I'd rather get Taylor signed up and then focus on the first team positions sorted in the summer.

The way he plays he'd be perfect for smaller prem games and cup matches while KT plays in Europe and big games. As long as he's happy with that role, he'd still get 25 games a season.

 

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers insists that the discussions on a new contract for Greg Taylor are out of his hands now.


Reports circulating this week had indicated that the club had reopened talks on a new and improved three-year deal for the left back, even though Kieran Tierney is returning from Arsenal this summer.

The Irishman reiterated his stance that Taylor is a player who he wishes to stay at Celtic and that he will never give up hope that an agreement can be reached.

Taylor's current deal expires in the summer, and the 27-year-old is free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any interested suitors.


Rodgers said: "I've seen a headline. Someone sent me a headline yesterday, and I was hoping it was really true and that something had happened.

"I don't know of anything. I think I've said all along, he's a player I so want to keep here. That bit of it is out of my hands now. Until then, we'll just continue to work with him and never give up hope. There's still a wee bit of time left until the end of the season. I've got nothing to give you concrete on that.

"I'm just talking through my experience of being in this situation before with players. I'm hoping and I'll hope that this is one of these that maybe can go on longer and doesn't go the other way, because normally in this situation, it feels that way."


Rodgers admitted that whatever happens, Taylor will continue to go his all for Celtic, and that was evident during last weekend's 5-1 hammering of Killie when he was voted the sponsors' player of the match, although he was made unavailable for interview and wasn't allowed to pick up his award.

The 52-year-old reckons that Taylor's on and off-field influence will be hard to replace should he quit Parkhead in the coming weeks.

Rodgers said: "I think you see from Greg's performance last week, he was so good in the game.

"In terms of that role, that inverted position, that's as good as I've seen that played last week, because when you're playing against teams that are man-to-man, you need to have mobility in your team.

"You need to have players that can find space, be clever when to be inside, and when to be outside. That's the nature of how we play.

"You think of the times we spoke to him in pre-season when we were looking at playing against Chelsea and Man City, him being in a number 10 position sometimes as well, and the first goal comes from that. He's in that position and combines with Reo (Hatate), who scores a brilliant goal.

"He's such a fantastic player, but he's more than that. Greg's not just a great footballer for how we play and the system that we play, and the way we play. He's very instrumental off the field. He's got a big personality in the changing room.

"His character fits this club. Why? He's up for every single game, and I mean every single game. Whether it's RB Leipzig at home, where he was absolutely brilliant, or whether it's an away game. He's up for every game.

"So he's in tune with what being a Celtic player is about. When you look at James (Forrest) or Cal (Callum McGregor), you look at these guys. They live with the expectation. They live with the feeling and what the demands are of this club. Greg lives that feeling as well as a Celtic player.

"There's so much more to him than his game, but his game is perfect for how we work and how we play, which is why I want to keep him so much."

Rodgers reckons that Taylor is well aware of the high esteem in which he is held at the club, but like every other footballer, he is desperate to play every week.

He said: "I think Greg knows how we all feel about him here. It's a big decision at 27. If you're going to commit, you're committing for four or five years. So you're pretty much saying this is your big contract here for the next four or five years.

"I think he knows what he gets from a football perspective. He has every right to just take his time and try and get your value met. So I totally understand that.

"I think the winning of trophies, yes, of course, he wants to succeed. I think the big thing for Greg is playing. We've got Kieran coming back in, but it's still a squad and it's still a season. Especially now, where it has felt like such a long season, with no breaks or anything like that. So I think that even more so, you need a really, really good squad.

"He's a super guy. He'll be very focused to the end of the season. You see his performance level last weekend, having not played for maybe five weeks or something, he'd come off against Hibs and then comes into the game at St Johnstone and makes a difference for us in the second half.

"Then last week against Kilmarnock, he was really at the highest level. So, yes, we'll see."

 

Have no problems with him resigning, KT is number 1, but he can more than fill in when needed, I don't mind, yeah I'd have a preference of another, but he's here and k ows the place inside out.

 

That's him signed his new 3 year deal according to someone on the HB

 

Excellent news if true. It was a no brainer.

 

Hope thats true would be excellent news if it is.

 

As long as his wages match the role of backup then I wouldn't mind him staying. Good enough for your bread and butter SPFL games and suits the inverted role when we're dominating games more than most left backs probably would.

 

Important player for Celtic well deserved new deal

 

Really hope this is true.

 

Great news.

Do we know who with?

 

Hibs

 

Nice. Loves the Green and White does Taylor.

 

Yup

 

I hope it's true that he's signed. He's a great backup.