da bet7： There’s barely been a week gone by this season when Celtic players have not been linked with moves away from the club to more illustrious leagues than the Scottish Premiership.
da betcris： The lure of more competitive leagues with huge scope for high earnings is undoubtedly strong, any Celtic fan would admit that. However, Celtic Park has become a great place to ply your trade and develop as a player. We’ve seen plenty of occasions recently of young players arriving in Glasgow, emerging into bigger stars and moving on for big money and big wages.
The balance for the club is judging when to let these starlets go and when to keep them around for the benefit of everyone.
Brendan Rodgers has some big decisions to make. With big, cash rich clubs circling, who should he sell and who should he keep on to progress in Europe next season?
Here are three stars he simply must keep a hold of next season…
Jozo Simunovic
Still just 22 years of age, Jozo Simunovic has emerged as the first choice centre-back this season, despite being on the verge of a move to Torino last summer. The big Croatian even had a medical in Italy before the move fell through.
He worked hard to force himself into Brendan Rodgers’ plans and hasn’t looked back since.
Hard hitting tackles, aggressive headers, confident dribbles up the pitch, the young defender has it all and only appears to be getting better by the week.
The Hoops were found wanting defensively in Europe this season and it’s an area they need stability and strength in next season. After an extended run in the team over the last few months, Simunovic is much more ready for those challenges ahead than he was earlier in the season.
Despite reported interest from Newcastle, this is one player that should be at the heart of Rodgers’ starting XI next season.
Stuart Armstrong
Last season at Celtic, Stuart Armstrong’s career at the club looked to be petering out before it really got going. Ronny Deila failed to get the best out of the Scotland international, often utilising him on the left hand side of a trio of attacking midfielders.
Now Brendan Rodgers is in charge, he’s been moved to a more central area and has looked vastly more effective as a result both in forward positions and a more defensive role.
With 14 goals to his name across the campaign, he’s been in lethal form and it’s form that’s been enough to attract reported interested from the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion who will be a Premier League side next season.
At 25 years of age, he’s seen by supporters as the future of the Celtic midfield. With passion, skill, strength and pace, he has dominated most domestic opposition this season.
Now all that remains is for him to up his game in Europe. We’ve seen glimpses of him being able to do that in the past, most notably against Inter Milan not long after he signed.
His potential is such that, far from cashing in on him, Rodgers should be building the entire side around him.
Moussa Dembele
Of course the crown jewel at Celtic right now is Moussa Dembele and despite an exceptional season, you get the impression he is just scratching the surface of his potential as an elite striker.
Already making waves in the UEFA Champions League for the Hoops this season, he will be absolutely key to those ambitions again next season at Celtic.
That means that Brendan Rodgers must resist all temptation of massive transfer money in the summer. Just this week there were French reports that Juventus are casting a serious glance towards his direction.
Most Celtic fans would concede that one day the young Frenchman will leave the club but there’s no rush and Brendan Rodgers likely knows that better than anyone. He must stay if they are to qualify for Europe’s biggest club competition and compete in the group stages.