Left for £39k: Celtic have already sold an "incredible" Taylor replacement

It’s set to be all change this year in terms of left-backs at Celtic for Brendan Rodgers.

Neither of the Hoops’ current players in that position are contracted to the club beyond 30 June, more on both shortly, while a local hero is poised to return to Parkhead.

However, did Celtic let go the best left-back of them all for just £39k, after he never made a competitive appearance for the club?

The latest on Greg Taylor’s future at Celtic

Following Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Hearts, manager Rodgers admitted that left-back Greg Taylor is likely to leave the club upon the expiration of his contract in June, stating “it’s probably more likely now that Greg will move on than stay”.

Rodgers added “we know we’ll need to have someone else if Greg moves on… which is a big shame for me because I love him”.

Davorin Olivari of Croatian outlet Jutarnji List has previously reported that GNK Dinamo Zagreb have ‘sent an offer’ to Taylor, seeking to snap him up on a free transfer, with this his most-likely destination at the moment.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Schlupp has usurped Taylor in the pecking order, starting the last four Premiership matches, as well as the away leg in Munich, albeit the Ghanian international’s future is up in the air too, given that he’s only on loan from Crystal Palace.

Regardless, Kieran Tierney is set to commence next season as Celtic’s first choice, having reportedly agreed to rejoin his boyhood club on a Bosman from Arsenal.

Of course, Tierney is undeniably a fans’ favourite in Glasgow, and his return will bring with it much fanfare once it is announced, but did Celtic sell an even more impressive left-back for just £39k?

Celtic’s forgotten former left-back on fire in MLS

Back in January 2019, Celtic signed a 22-year-old defender by the name of Andrew Gutman from Indiana Hoosiers, after the American had been on trial at fierce rivals Rangers.

Gutman said he was “really honoured” to make the move, adding “I can’t wait to join Celtic and be part of such a storied institution.”

Well, unfortunately for Gutman, he did not play much of a part, never making a competitive appearance in hoops, loaned out to both Charlotte Independence of USL League One and then FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer, before moving permanently to MLS outfit Atlanta United for only $50,000 (£39k) in General Allocation Money in March 2021.

Since then, Gutman has rather bounced around MLS, spending time at both New York Red Bulls and then Colorado Rapids, before joining the Chicago Fire ahead of the start of the 2024 season.

Back in his home state of Illinois, Gutman has really looked at home under Gregg Berhalter this season, scoring during victories over both FC Dallas and Toronto, earning rave reviews, including from Felipe Cárdenas of the Athletic, who labels him ‘incredible’.

So, let’s assess how his statistics compare to Taylor.

As the table outlines, during a similarly sized sample size, Gutman’s performances in MLS are similar to those of Taylor in the Premiership, with the American actually coming out on top when it comes to most defensive metrics.

Also worth noting that, according to Global Football Rankings, Major League Soccer is the ninth strongest division on the planet, with the Premiership down in 34th place.

So, perhaps letting Gutman leave for a small fee was a mistake, as he could’ve been an upgrade on Taylor had he been given an opportunity, especially considering Transfermakt believe his current market value to be around £586k, around 15 times more than he was sold for.

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