The amount of former professionals who think Celtic would be mad to let Scott Brown go next season is mounting up.
Michael Stewart and Stiliyan Petrov have already gone on the record over the weekend to say Celtic should be tying the captain down at least for another 12 months.
Now Kris Commons has urged the club to put a firm contract offer on the table and sort out the situation before he agrees to walk out the door.
The Celtic veteran has been linked to a playing and coaching post at Aberdeen with Stephen Glass. With his contract up at the end of the season, he’s free to sign a pre-contract elsewhere right now.
However, Brown’s former teammate Commons reckons it’s madness not to have him around for another season to help with the upcoming transition at the club.
Writing in his Scottish Daily Mail column (15/03 print edition, Verdict supplement page 7), he said: “If Aberdeen do make him a concrete offer, it might be tempting in the sense that he would be likely to play more for them than he would for Celtic.
“That would be a tough decision for him to make. But Celtic shouldn’t even allow it to get to that stage. Brown has a key role to play in how the club rebuilds itself. He has been a loyal servant to the club over the years.
“He had an offer from Newcastle United a few years ago which could have seen him treble his wages. He had the chance to move to Australia in 2019. He was offered eye-watering sums of money and the chance to start a new life Down Under.
“But he turned them all down. He’s a Celtic man through and through. The club need to wake up and give themselves a shake. If they allow Brown to walk out the door in the summer, it would be a huge mistake.”
Scott Brown Celtic situation reminiscent of Craig Gordon
Brown has hardly been the most popular player with supporters this season. In fact, his continued selection in the starting eleven has probably produced more groans than fist pumps over the last 12 months.
However, his influence in the dressing room cannot be overstated. Every Celtic player will tell you that he is an integral part of the squad. It would likely be a deeply unpopular decision amongst the squad if the Hoops decide to let him walk away.
The media noise around the Brown situation reminds me of the Craig Gordon saga last year. Celtic were warned for months not to let him go and ultimately many people would tell you the club have paid the price this season with Vasilis Barkas, Scott Bain and Conor Hazard failing to impress.
Could it be a case of “don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” with Brown too?
Certainly having an experienced hand around to help a new manager transition into a new era sounds sensible, regardless of how prominent the veteran is in the starting eleven next term.
The club have a huge decision to make.
In other news, the Celtic youngster who has shone in multiple positions out on loan.
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