Are Celtic Taking Defender’s Loyalty for Granted?

CELTIC have a lot of decision to make in the next three months. A new full time manager is top of the agenda but the state of the squad has to be something the board need to take into consideration even before they’ve appointed their new man.

With that being said, the future of Mikael Lustig is still yet to be decided even though the player was told he would get an answer about a new deal after the last international break. We’re now nearly three weeks on and nobody is the wiser.

Is the player getting a new deal with the club? It should be pretty simple with the board holding the contract clause which permits them to extent Lustig’s deal for one more year without doing anything. However, if there have been talks between the two parties it may be because the club wants to negotiate the terms of a new contract.

AIK have made no secrets about wanting to bring the defender back to Sweden next season and have openly said they’ve held talks with Lustig but the defender has refused to give them an answer until Celtic have settled his future.

Speaking about their move for Lustig, AIK Director Bjorn Wesstrom gave this update to RecordSport.

“I have talked to Mikael Lustig but we are not so close right now.

“If it is close then you discuss details and plans, and you talk to the coach, and we are not there yet.

“What he needs to decide first and foremost is whether he should remain at Celtic or not, and I understand that they have a job to do, Celtic and himself.

“When they have decided on that future, then we will think about how our interest is.”

It seems like the club should have decided by now what they were doing. Peter Lawwell has taken advantage of player’s loyalties in the past and it has sometimes blown up in his face. The famous story of Lawwell stalling on a new deal for Jackie McNamara after his testimonial and by the time Lawwell got around to speaking with him he had already agreed to join Wolves.

Lustig isn’t going to be a pivotal player moving forward but as a backup and a guy who is well liked in the dressing room, he could be worth a deal for one more year.