Celtic have been urged to secure the permanent signing of Jeffrey Schlupp, with the Crystal Palace loanee set to be available on a free transfer in the summer.
The Ghanaian international made the deadline-day switch to Parkhead in January and has already made an impact, featuring in big matches like the Champions League clash against Bayern Munich and netting his first goal for the club against St Mirren.
His performances have impressed many, including pundit Michael Stewart, who believes Celtic will look to make his move permanent.
Speaking on the Premier Sports Scottish football show, Stewart highlighted why a long-term deal at Celtic makes sense for Schlupp:
“From Jeffrey Schlupp’s perspective, oh my word. You are sitting on your backside doing nothing at Crystal Palace.
“Or, you are up at Celtic playing in games like against Bayern Munich and potentially winning things. Enjoying your football.
“Come the summer, I would imagine that Celtic will put a deal in place to try and sign him. His decision is ‘what better option are you going to get?’.
“You might not be playing every week, but as you see with Celtic, there are so many games. He will play a good chunk of games if he were to sign on.”
The left-back situation at Celtic is set for a shake-up in the summer, with Kieran Tierney returning to the club after signing a pre-contract agreement. However, Greg Taylor looks likely to depart after failing to agree on a new deal. That could leave an opening for Schlupp, who has already shown his versatility and quality in his short time in Glasgow.
Celtic’s summer transfer plans are still taking shape, but with Schlupp’s contract expiring and his immediate impact at the club, a permanent deal could be on the cards.
Only time will tell what Celtic plan to do.
Ideally we should get him signed up but if reports are correct, he’s currently receiving a wage of £60k p.w.
I doubt Celtic would offer him even half that, so he’s likely to receive much better wage offers from other clubs and go elsewhere.
Can’t blame him for that, its just how the Premiership riches have ruled out beìng able to sign the likes of Schlupp on a permanent basis and short-term loans are the best we can hope for, from that over-priced, over-hyped market.