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da roleta： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Jackie McNamara has told Football Insider that he thinks Jozo Simunovic might want to leave Celtic this summer, and he could well be right.
What’s he said?
The former Celts star McNamara has spoken of Simunovic’s Parkhead future, with the defender being heavily linked to Ligue 1 side Lille.
Simunovic has been a key part of the Parkhead side since Neil Lennon came back to the club in February but has had to deal with added competition for places.
The arrival of Christopher Jullien, as well as Nir Bitton performing well as a makeshift centre-back, has meant that the 25-year-old has a serious fight on his hands.
This is the main reason as to why McNamara thinks that he may be interested in a move away from Celtic Park this summer, as he stated: “They’ve got options, they’ve brought in Jullien and there are others still in the squad who will probably want off and maybe one or two out on loan.
“It’s hard to keep everyone happy, like Simunovic, you’ve got Jack Hendry there as well.
“(In the starting XI) You’ve got Ajer, Jullien – they’ve got a lot of options there. In some sense there will be players there who want to move out, that maybe aren’t going to feature so they’ll want to go out and play and they’ll (Celtic) use that to strengthen other areas.”
Is he right?
Simunovic has seen his chances of getting a regular starting berth under Lennon dented, with Jullien’s arrival likely forcing him down to the pecking order, as the Frenchman and Ajer look to form a partnership. In moving club, the defender might see his chances of becoming a key player increase.
Financially it would make sense too, with Football Insider previously reporting that the French side would double his Celtic wages. The money factor, coupled with the prospect of playing in the Champions League group stage (something that isn’t yet guaranteed for the Celts) could turn his head.
It probably isn’t the best time from a Celtic standpoint for someone who played 30 times last term to be considering a transfer. Despite it being early August, their season could be defined by the next month or so.
Qualification to the Champions League would be important and could go some way in convincing potential targets to sign and the likes of Simunovic to stay. And with a Glasgow derby and a League Cup tie to be played before the window closes, Lennon won’t want to be dealing with transfer confusion at such a crucial time.
If McNamara is right, which he very well may be, then it’s going to be a worrying wait for the Celtic supporters between now and the French transfer window closing on September 2.
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