Leigh Griffiths has shed some light on the final chat he had with Ange Postecoglou before he left Celtic for Dundee on deadline day.
The Scotland international has joined up with the Dens Park side on a season-long loan agreement. It comes with the player’s contract ending next summer, making his Celtic career seem all but over.
Griffiths hadn’t played a single minute of competitive action under Postecoglou before departing. After off-field issues plagued his pre-season, the signs were ominous early on.
And after making the move to Tayside, Griffiths has disclosed the details of the final chat he had with Postecoglou before he left.
As quoted by STV, he said: “It was more myself [that drove the move]. The manager was happy for me to stay there but for me, at my age, I wanted to go and play games.
“He was happy for me to do that and I feel this is the best place for me.
“We didn’t really speak about the move, I just went to see him and said I was at an age where I need to play, and he agreed. There was no bad blood and we left it on good terms. Then it was just a matter of the clubs getting together and reaching a decision.
Difficult to see a Leigh Griffiths renaissance under Ange Postecoglou
Before he officially left the club, it had been reported by the Scottish Sun that Griffiths saw no future for himself at Celtic under Postecoglou.
For one reason or another, the manager didn’t fancy him. We can all speculate as to whether his off-field problems played a key role in that. But all that matters is that he was simply out of favour.
Celtic have strong options in the centre-forward position now through Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis respectively. They certainly don’t look set up to miss Griffiths.
For the player himself, it’s vital that he simply focuses on getting himself back in form. There remains talent in those boots of Griffiths’. If he can get back into a regular scoring habit with Dundee, it’ll make him an attractive proposition next summer.
Even if his future doesn’t lie at Parkhead long-term, a successful year at Dens Park would do his summer chances a power of good when it comes to finding a new home.
It’s one of the biggest campaigns of the player’s career. But a successful return under Postecoglou? That hardly seems overly likely.
In other news, How much Celtic secured in transfer fees and how much was actually spent
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