Opinion: Contract status means Celtic have no need to sell heroes of 21/22

A big problem for Celtic last summer was the contract status of some key players at the club. The likes of Odsonne Edouard, Ryan Christie and Kristoffer Ajer had all entered the last year of their contracts with the club, and as a result it was inevitable that they would depart, and indeed the trio had left Celtic by the end of the summer transfer window.

The good news for the Hoops though is that the club seems to have learned a lesson since then, and as it stands there is no need for any of the title winning heroes of season 2021/22 to be sold due to their contract status at the club.

Looking at the contract status of the Hoops squad, the club have number of important players under contract until 2026.

Callum McGregor, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Josip Juranovic, Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate and Liel Abada are all under contract at the club for another four years.

 There is a chance that some of those players might leave the Hoops before the end of their contracts – but if that is the case, the length of the contract should dictate that the Hoops will get a lot of money should any of the players leave.

Getting players tied down to long-term contracts is something that every club should look to do, as it lessens the chances of players leaving a club on a free transfer, and usually means that the team will get good money when a player eventually does decide to leave.

That is why it is good that Celtic have so many players committed on long-term deals, to avoid the issues of the past.

Celtic seem to be building a squad that will hopefully be at the club for a number of years, even if Ange Postecoglou is not the first-team manager, and that is smart thinking by the club, as the team needs a spine that will hopefully be at the club