Callum McGregor hopes Celtic tie Greg Taylor down to new deal

Author: Gabriel AntoniazziPublished 24th Apr 2025

Celtic captain Callum McGregor hopes the club can break the stalemate in Greg Taylor's contract saga and keep a player he feels is among the best in Europe in his inverted full-back role.

Brendan Rodgers recently reignited hope Taylor might sign a new deal despite admitting previously it looked like the 27-year-old would move on in the summer when his contract expires.

The signing of Kieran Tierney on a pre-contract deal in January looked to have spelled the end of Taylor's six-year association at Celtic Park, but McGregor feels having both Scotland internationals would be a major weapon.

On his current team-mate, McGregor said: "I know how important he is, I know what he brings to the team. There's very, very few players in Europe that I've seen that play that position better than him and it gives the team a different dynamic as well.

"So to have that in your squad and that level of player, and he gives everything for the club every single day, he carries the responsibility as well, so I'd love nothing more than the club to do something and try and get him tied down.

"He's been a huge part of the success, especially since we've started playing with that kind of inverted full-back.

"I don't think there's anyone in Europe that's doing it better at the minute so he's a top player and I would love to see something done to try and keep him at the club."

Tierney has found Arsenal starts hard to come by since Mikel Arteta deployed the inverted full-back role and has recently been used as a wide midfielder off the bench.

McGregor feels having Tierney's overlapping abilities and Taylor's ability to move inside and join the midfield would give Celtic real flexibility.

"Totally different type of players, different profiles, both really top players," the midfielder said. "I've worked with them for so long now. Obviously I know Kieran even longer than I've known Greg as well so I know exactly what he can do.

"And then to be adaptable, to have maybe one week playing inside giving you a different option, then the next week playing outside, and even within the games chopping and changing as well, can give teams a really difficult problem to try and deal with.

"So if we could get those two nailed down then he'd have a really strong left-back position."

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