Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is more than aware that a clutch of his players have less than 18 months left on their contracts, insisting he is ‘constantly’ talking to them about their futures.
Joe Hart, David Turnbull and the red-hot Aaron Mooy all have deals that expire in the summer of 2024. All three have played a role in Postecoglou’s team this season and the Bhoys boss is eager to determine what their ambitions are.
Citing a similar situation involving the departed Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton last season, Postecoglou says nothing is set in stone and decisions will be made in the best interests of the players and the club.
Ange Postecoglou sounding out Celtic desire
As quoted by The Mail on Sunday [05/02 print edition, page 99], he said: “It’s just about having discussions with the players themselves. I need to know where they’re at, where their heads are.
“Last year, we had Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic with a year left. It would have been easy for me to let them roll on for another year. But, after discussions, they felt there were other opportunities they wanted to explore and they moved on.
“With those three guys, I’m constantly talking to them about their ambitions. I want to make sure that every step of the way we’re looking after the player’s interests — but also looking after the club’s interest, too. Every decision will be made against that backdrop.”
The form of Mooy is exciting at the moment but, obviously, the club can’t hand out contracts on the back of a month of games, so Postecoglou is correct to be cautious. A lot can change in a couple of months, never mind between now and June 2024.
The same could be said for Joe Hart, who is now 35, as well as David Turnbull, who isn’t exactly a regular started under Postecoglou despite making strong impressions off the bench recently.
Ultimately it was the right call to let both Rogic and Bitton go if they didn’t have the heart for another push for trophies at Celtic and the can be said of any current players, even if they are playing well right now.
In other news, Callum Davidson says Celtic ruthlessness ‘hard to take’ as he questions referee calls.
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