As trophy-laden as Craig Gordon’s Celtic career has been, getting him to stay at the club beyond the summer is surely next to impossible.
Pat Bonner last night spoke in the Scottish Sun about how he would encourage Gordon to stay. He says that if his next step is a coaching position, he’s at a great club where he can continue to win trophies and play in Europe.
Yet that’s all well and good, but for Gordon it’s been all about making an impact. He stated to the BBC that he wants to be playing and that he hasn’t spoken to Celtic about staying.
However, if he does want to be playing regularly, Celtic clearly isn’t the place for him. We would all hope to bring Fraser Forster back next season. If that wasn’t possible, then a goalkeeper of a higher calibre than Gordon would be ideal. It wouldn’t read well to supporters if we decided to stick with the number two.
In addition to that, he has an international future to think about. With Allan McGregor retired and Scott Bain out of the picture at Parkhead, a real opportunity has opened up for Gordon.
International ambitions
At the moment, David Marshall may be the number one for Steve Clarke. A move for Gordon, however, could see him get the regular game-time he needs to snatch that jersey back. He’ll surely want to try and take that opportunity given Bain’s current status in particular.
Gordon knows he’s better than a back-up. His talents aren’t suited to sitting on a bench, and first-team football elsewhere could be ideal for him. He’s more than good enough to go down to the Premiership and compete, and you have to imagine there would be interest.
The idea of him staying at Celtic to win trophies and be a part of a successful squad is all well and good. However, that’s something Gordon has done throughout his career. He’s been there and done it in Scotland, and if he isn’t playing here then he won’t be a player motivated by just being part of a squad.
It would be the same anywhere, that’s just how Gordon comes across. It doesn’t matter what club he’s at, he thrives on game-time, and deserves to be a number one somewhere.
The fact he’s in the latter stages of his career won’t help either. It’s not as if he has years and years of experience ahead of him. He’s at a period in his career where he’ll want to be playing week-in, week-out.
Celtic can’t offer him that anymore. For that reason, asking Gordon to stay on just to be a part of the squad won’t reap any rewards.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
