BBC pundit and former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner has urged Leigh Griffiths to stop hanging around at Parkhead and leave for the good of his career.
Griffiths is now one of only three senior strikers at the club after confirmation of Patryk Klimala’s exit today. It also looks extremely likely that fellow centre-forward Odsonne Edouard will depart in the summer given he’s into the final 12 months of his contract.
That would leave Celtic with only Albian Ajeti up top should Griffiths follow Edouard and Klimala out the exit door. That would raise immediate concerns over the amount of work needing done up top alone. Especially considering some of the other priority positions needing dealt with this summer.
But Bonner believes it’s time for Griffiths to leave for the good of his own career. He feels there’s still time for the Scotland international to have four or five strong years left in his career, so long as he makes the right move.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound last night, Bonner said: “I think it’s time to change all of that now for Celtic. They’ve got to change personnel. They’ve got to – people who have been on the fringes now – they’ve got to change everything. Leigh Griffiths is one of those you would be saying ‘he has to find pastures new’. He has to go.
“He’s only 30-years-old. He’s got another four or five years if he gets himself right, to go and perform and score goals. That’s his business, that’s his game and he’s got to go and do it. He can’t hang around at Celtic – of course he’ll be on decent money I’m sure – but that cannot be your prime objective totally.
“You’ve got to go and finish off your career somewhere that you can make an impact.”
Pat Bonner puts forward strong case; a big few weeks ahead for Leigh Griffiths
There was a time in the season when Griffiths was being snubbed for Klimala. For the first few months of the season especially, Griffiths had to sit on the bench and at times wasn’t even part of the matchday squad in favour of the Pole. The Neil Lennon signing, picked up by the Hoops in 2014 from Wolves, has hardly had the best of campaigns since.
With Klimala gone, that moves Griffiths one step closer to more regular minutes. His last-gasp equaliser at Aberdeen last night will also have won him some brownie points with John Kennedy.
The next three matches are huge for him. If he can net in all three, and make no mistake that should be his target, it makes him look a lot more attractive for any new manager coming in the door. Especially if he can perform at Ibrox a week on Sunday and potentially be the difference-maker.
Klimala’s official exit makes it a dangerous game to sell Griffiths now. It simply must be the decision of the next manager. Nobody else. It’s not down to Peter Lawwell, Dominic McKay, and certainly not Kennedy as to whether Leigh departs. The new boss should be allowed to have a look at him before a final decision is made on his extension.
This is why it’s so important to get a manager in urgently. Allow him the opportunity to see some of these players before their contracts expire or before their loan deals are up. The longer we wait on that, the less time he’ll have to analyse everyone in the squad.
Griffiths’ future is up in the air. Last night’s goal at Pittodrie doesn’t change that. Let’s see what the new manager thinks of him before any decisions are made.
In other news, the Celtic supporters have been left unsatisfied with the official departure of Klimala today.
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