According to The Daily Mail, Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic is on the verge of completing a £4m move away from the club.
What’s the word?
The Australia international has yet to make a single competitive appearance this season, whilst he only played 22 times across all competitions in the previous campaign too.
And having fallen out of favour under current Celtic boss Neil Lennon, The Daily Mail claim that the Hoops are close to agreeing a £4m deal for his departure this summer.
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The report adds that Rogic is seemingly on his way to an unnamed Qatari side, with an agreement expected to be reached within the next 24 hours.
Unforgivable from Hammond
Whilst on the face of it, getting £4m for a player who hasn’t played at all this campaign, and barely featured in the starting line-up in the previous season, sounds like a great deal, Rogic’s qualities are exactly what Celtic don’t have much of in their squad.
The Australian is a creator, who with his supreme technical skills can help fashion out chances for his teammates or even let one fly himself. The Athletic journalist Kieran Devlin said earlier this week: “He may not have pace, and he has struggled for full fitness for the majority of his career, but his first touch, technique and vision speak for themselves.
“He can create that golden chance, unpick that fiddly lock, break down that sturdy defence. It’s what he does. The only other Celtic player who has demonstrably proved to be in the same creator conversation as Rogic is Olivier Ntcham.”
The 27-year-old has played 189 times for Celtic since joining the club, scoring 38 goals and providing a further 34 assists. He enjoyed his best spell at Celtic Park under Brendan Rodgers, with the Northern Irishman always quick to praise him. He said: “He’s got an in-built brain for football. You just need to put him into a structure and a framework to get the ball and into areas where he can hurt teams. He’s very elusive. He’s so cool and calm and he just moves so well. He’s fantastic.”
If Celtic get rid of Rogic, they will lose someone who can be the difference-maker in those tight games where opposition defences sit in a low block. As the Bhoys look for a historic ten-in-a-row, how damaging would it be if they miss out just because they let go of a player who could give them moments of magic?
