Brendan Rodgers has addressed Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor’s contract situations at Celtic as both continue to play a pivotal role in his side’s success.
The pair started in the Bhoys’ comprehensive victory over Leipzig during the week, putting in admirable displays on a watershed Champions League night at Parkhead.
Earlier this week, reports emerged suggesting Alistair Johnston is close to signing a Celtic extension after a breakthrough in talks over an agreement that would see him inherit a significant wage increase.
His representatives are in Scotland to try and seal a deal. Meanwhile, Greg Taylor is into the last year of his Celtic deal and there has still been no communication surrounding whether he will be at the club beyond next summer.
Now, Rodgers has addressed both situations as he aims to ensue his squad is packed with quality for the long-term.
Brendan Rodgers on Johnston and Taylor’s Celtic contracts
Firstly, Rodgers addressed Johnston’s situation in his pre-Kilmarnock press conference, stating: “Nothing I can add to that; I seen something on that basis probably four to six weeks ago as weeks ago as well.
“Nothing to add, he’s clearly a player we’d want to tie down and he’s an absolutely fantastic guy to work with on and off the pitch. Hopefully, in the future, that can be the case.”
Later, he added on Taylor: “Greg Taylor? Nothing as of yet, again, a similar message. You see his importance to our game the other night. I think the possibility of having two quality players in each position, that’s what you see in the game the other night.
“We play Alex in the semi-final; he does fantastically well. Tuesday night was a different game, I felt what we wanted from the game, so I can bring Greg in. You seen the level that he played at, how clean he was, how bright he was, how well he defended, how well he attacked. He’s clearly obviously someone I see as a big part of what we’re looking to continue here. I hope over the coming months we can do that.”
He continued when asked on him potentially speaking to other clubs in January: “Well, hopefully, yeah (getting Taylor nailed down before he becomes available on a pre-contract), there comes a point where both sides, we have to understand what we’re thinking.
“If it’s not going to happen then okay, we know that, we can then plan and prepare going forward, but I really hope it doesn’t get to that because I love working with Greg Taylor. He’s played about 186 games here, I can’t tell you how influential he is off the pitch and how good he’s been on the pitch for this club, the consistency and also how we play.”
Brendan Rodgers desperate for longer Greg Taylor Celtic stay
Making his point clear, Rodgers indicated he wants Taylor to stay at Celtic for as long as possible, stating: “Both our full-backs are absolutely critical for us in how we operate. They have two totally different functions in how they work. Greg is a specialist in what he does for us, you see the flow of the team.
“You watch the game the other night, Red Bull Leipzig pressing with both players, we’re getting five in our build-up, we’ve got different solutions to get through, he’s a massive part of that.
“So I really hope that we can do something, plus I really, really like him, he’s such a good guy. He loves being here, big voice in the changing room, every single day in training he’s so good, his focus. He’s just married; he’ll be a father later on in the year as well, so we want him to really settle down and get everything ready for him and I just want to continue working with him for as long as I possibly can.”
It goes without saying, but Johnston and Taylor are both incredibly important players for Celtic, providing experience, quality and a winning mentality within a framework where failure isn’t an option.
By all accounts, the former appears close to sealing an extended deal, but the latter’s situation is becoming a problem that needs to be solved before too long. Hopefully, Celtic can announce some good news sooner rather than later as fans wait on tenterhooks.
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