Scott Sinclair’s departure was perhaps a predictable one, but even so, the winger has still moved to explain why he swapped Parkhead for Preston.
Sinky leaves Celtic Park as a real fan-favourite. His performances over the course of his debut season at the club set the tone for an era of dominance under Brendan Rodgers. He swept the Player of the Year awards and also went on to have two more successful campaigns where he played a key role in securing the treble treble.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why he decided now was the best time to move, however. This season, he’s only been given seven outings by Neil Lennon and just one starting spot (Transfermarkt).
In any case, Sinclair has come out and explained his decision. Speaking in comments published by the Scottish Sun, the winger stated the following:
“It’s a fresh start, a new chapter and I’m buzzing to be here. I’m at my happiest when I’m playing games and scoring goals and I want to do that here.
“The manager went through how he wants to play, the tactics and what he wants from the players and I liked the idea of it. He’s straight up and makes it clear what he wants from his players.
“I want to get back to playing regularly and enjoying my football, and I want to try and hit the ground running. I think with the squad we have here there’s no reason we can’t push for promotion.”
Sinclair deserves to be remembered for positive reasons
When we all look back on Sinclair’s time at the club, you could be forgiven for wondering “what if”. After all, it will always be a mystery as to how the Englishman declined so much in the last 12 months.
However, when we look back on his period in Glasgow overall, you can’t overlook everything he did for the club. After all, Sinky finished the 2018/19 season as the club’s top scorer during the treble-treble run. Regardless of whether his overall performances declined, nobody can take his 60 goals away from him.
There’s no denying that his first season at the club was the year in which the mentality at Parkhead changed. Rodgers came in and brought confidence, quality, and excitement to Celtic once again. A large part of that was down to Sinclair’s flair and skill down the left. Had we not had him in the team during the 2016/17 campaign, we may not be sitting here as treble-treble champions.
Time for a new challenge
The time was right for him to move on. After all, he’s said it himself, he thrives on playing regular football, and that was something he was simply never going to get from here on in.
At 30, he’ll want to be making an impact at as high a level as he can. The opportunity at Preston perhaps provides him with the chance to taste Premier League football again in the near future. It was the right opportunity at the right time for Sinky.
No doubt many in the Hoops support will now be keeping their eye on the former Manchester City and Aston Villa man. His first match will come this weekend against Blackburn Rovers, and no doubt many of us will be looking on to see how he fares.
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