The January pre-contract move Celtic fans are eyeing up after last night's events

By David Walton

November 16, 2021

The Celtic supporters are encouraging the Hoops to snap up Hearts centre-back John Souttar on a pre-contract in January.

Souttar has fought his way back from long-term injury woe to become a Scotland international defender. Last night against Denmark, he made his mark with the opening goal in the 2-0 success. A result that makes Scotland one of the seeded teams for the World Cup playoffs.

It’s been a long road back for the defender, who missed the best part of 2 years with an ankle injury.

This season, he’s stormed back with Hearts and become one of the most influential performers in the Scottish Premiership. His goal against Celtic on opening day set the tone for him, as he’s gone on to feature on 15 occasions and has become one of Robbie Neilson’s most valuable assets.

Souttar absolutely bossed Trabzonspor striker Andreas Cornelius last night. His efficiency on the international stage was a major surprise as he proved he can cope at the top level.

John Souttar takes the man-of-the-match plaudits for Scotland

Stat experts WhoScored gave Souttar the man-of-the-match award with a superb 8.15/10 rating for his display. You couldn’t argue with that either given what he put into the game.

And interestingly, his Hearts contract is set to expire in the summer. The Jambos have been doing their best to try and strike a new deal with Souttar, but there’s no denying it’ll be a severe concern for them that they haven’t been able to tie him down.

Souttar is now just over a month away from being able to talk to clubs about a summer move. Given his increased stock over the last few months, you can see why he would want to explore it at 25 years of age.

For a player who’s effectively been robbed 2 years of his career, the next step up will surely be attractive for him, even if Hearts may feel they’re due some loyalty.

And after watching Souttar boss things for Scotland last night, the Celtic supporters have urged the club to make their own move for Souttar:

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