Celtic took Rangers apart last weekend and Greg Taylor was an essential cog in Brendan Rodgers’ machinery on derby day.
The Scotland international kept Vaclav Cerny quiet for the entire 90 minutes. Throughout the match, he won six duels, completed ten defensive actions, and made five recoveries in total [Fotmob].
Going forward, Taylor completed 49 out of his 55 attempted passes and made ten passes into the final third. However, his most telling contribution was nipping in front of Cerny to set Kyogo Furuhashi on his way to double the Bhoys’ advantage.
All in all, the former Kilmarnock man enjoyed a fine afternoon’s work in Glasgow’s east end, lending credence to the notion that his contract situation should be resolved now that he is into the final year of his deal.
What happens next remains to be seen over the coming months. Nevertheless, despite his detractors, Chris Sutton has outlined his importance to the Celtic cause.
Chris Sutton hails Greg Taylor’s derby tenacity
Writing in his Daily Record column, Sutton believes Taylor always puts his best foot forward under Brendan Rodgers and has pinpointed the left-back, Liam Scales and Paulo Bernardo as three men who will give the manager a selection headache in light of new arrivals in their positions.
He stated: “Taylor is another who is constantly on the lips of the supporters when it comes to upgrades and improving in Europe. I have to agree, I do think that there have been times when he has been exposed at the highest level and struggled.
“But so have many of his team-mates and Taylor is another robust contributor. I’m no Taylor-basher. Quite the opposite. He’s always there for Rodgers and he always plays to a good level on the domestic front.
“Against Rangers, he was just as he always is against the Ibrox team. Strong, committed, clever on the ball when moving into midfield and taking up smart positions and his hunger and vision to win the ball and get Kyogo away for the second goal was excellent.”
Greg Taylor’s contract situation needs resolved
The elephant in the room with Taylor is his contract situation. In just a few months, he can discuss terms with foreign clubs about the potential of leaving on a free transfer.
Considering that he has made 177 appearances for Celtic, scoring eight times and laying on 26 assists alongside being a homegrown asset, that in isolation should be enough to secure him a new deal.
Furthermore, his emergence as a leader within the dressing room also has to be taken into account. Becoming a crucial component of the Bhoys’ success over recent seasons, it wouldn’t make sense to lose his services.
Football is a short career. After five years at the club, he may feel the prospect a new challenge is approaching now-or-never territory at nearly 27 years of age. Nevertheless, Rodgers wants him to stay; let’s hope the player does, too.
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