Celtic’s season ended in disappointing fashion on Saturday when they were beaten on penalties by Aberdeen in the final of the SFA Cup at Hampden Park.
The Hoops had the chance to win the domestic treble and were on course to do so after an own goal put them 1-0 up, only for Kasper Schmeichel to turn the ball into his own net before the Dons went on to win on spot-kicks.
Now that the season is over, attention will turn to the summer transfer window, and one player who looks to have played his last match for Celtic is defender Greg Taylor.
Why Greg Taylor could leave Celtic this summer
Before the final, Brendan Rodgers claimed that “the door’s not closed” on a new contract for the left-back, but his current deal is due to expire at the end of the month.
The Daily Record previously reported that Dinamo Zagreb and teams from the MLS are interested in signing the Scotland international this summer.
This means that there could be plenty of offers on the table for the defender to consider, which could be particularly tempting when you consider that Kieran Tierney is returning to Parkhead from Arsenal on a free transfer this summer to compete for the left-back position.
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Taylor, therefore, may have played his last game for Celtic in the final against Aberdeen, but he may not be the only player in the squad to have played his final match for the Hoops, as Maik Nawrocki could also be on his way.
Why Maik Nawrocki should move on from Celtic this summer
Rodgers named the squad for the cup final on Saturday, and the Polish central defender was one of the players who did not even make the bench.
That was far from the first time that has happened to Nawrocki this season. Despite being fit and available all year, the 24-year-old star failed to make the matchday squad on 33 occasions and was an unused substitute in a further 19 matches in all competitions, playing just five games in total.
He was rarely seen throughout the campaign and only made three appearances in the Scottish Premiership, despite impressing in those outings against Rangers, Hearts, and Aberdeen.
Minutes
90
90
90
Clearances
7
9
5
Blocks
0
3
2
Tackles + interceptions
5
1
1
Duels won
7/10
8/9
2/6
Dribbled past
0x
0x
1x
Pass accuracy
93%
98%
95x
Error led to shot/goal
0
0
0
As you can see in the table above, Nawrocki was reliable on the ball and defensively secure across the three games combined, delivering impressive performances whenever called upon.
The Polish star, who was hailed as “fantastic” by Chris Sutton after the Rangers game, also only played 13 times in all competitions during the 2023/24 campaign after his move from Legia Warsaw.
At the age of 24, Nawrocki is heading into the peak years of his career and should want to play regular football, rather than struggling to make the matchday squad behind Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, and Auston Trusty.
This is why his appearance against Aberdeen earlier this month may end up being his last outing in a Celtic shirt, because he should be pushing for a move away from Parkhead in the summer transfer window unless Rodgers can guarantee him more game time next term, which seems unlikely on the basis of Saturday’s omission.
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Nawrocki has proven, in the three games that he has been called upon in the Premiership, that he has the quality to deliver impressive performances, and other clubs may want to utilise that talent more frequently than Celtic have been if there is a sense that he will be available this summer.
