Why Celtic should part ways with Craig Gordon in the summer

According to Daily Record, Huddersfield Town are interested in signing Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon after the end of the season.

The report also suggests that the Terriers wanted Gordon in January but the Hoops were reluctant to keep him. He has also attracted interest from his former club Heart of Midlothian.

Gordon, 37, came through the youth ranks of Hearts, making 97 appearances for the club’s senior team before moving to Sunderland in 2007. After 5 years at the Stadium of Light, he took a break in his career due to injuries.

Celtic signed him in 2014 and since then, the shot-stopper has made 242 appearances for the Hoops. In the process, he has won 5 Premiership titles and 4 Scottish League Cup titles. He has had a successful career and was the first-choice goalkeeper for the last four years.

The Scotsman again suffered from a knee injury towards the end of last campaign and eventually lost his place to Fraser Forster, who is on loan from Southampton. Gordon hasn’t featured in a single league game this season and has fallen down the pecking order under Neil Lennon.

While Forster has regained his form under Lennon and has continued to be the first-choice, Scott Bain has been used as an understudy to the Englishman. Hence, Celtic must consider offloading the veteran in the summer.

Apart from Forster and Bain, the Hoops have two of their reserve players Ross Doohan and Conor Hazard who are on loan at Ayr United and Dundee FC respectively. The youngsters are set to return after their loan spell and there would absolutely be no chance for Gordon to claim the spot for himself at Celtic Park given the depth in resource at the club.

Though Forster’s future at the club remains a doubt, he has expressed his desire to continue with the Hoops, as per The Athletic (h/t Daily Record). If they sign him permanently, Celtic would have four goalkeepers in their ranks.

Therefore, allowing Gordon to leave would be the best decision for both the club and the player himself. He can revive his career elsewhere and Celtic would not have to waste their resources on a player who could eventually be benched.

Read more

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Verdict

Celtic already have enough players in several positions, especially in the goalkeeping department, and it would not be possible for the manager to hand game time to everyone. Therefore, offloading the 37-year-old in the summer would be a wise decision by the club.