Callum McGregor hopes Celtic can break the stalemate in Greg Taylor’s contract saga and keep a player he claims is among the best in Europe in his inverted full-back role.
Brendan Rodgers recently expressed hope that 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 skipper McGregor feels having both Scotland internationals would be a major asset for the team.
Asked about 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.
Callum McGregor and Greg Taylor pose with this season’s Premier Sports Cup silverware
Taylor has been a consistent performer for Celtic but he may feel the time is right to move on
Taylor and Tierney have long been squad-mates with Scotland and could yet link up at Celtic
‘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,’ said he midfielder. ‘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.’
A point against Dundee United at Tannadice tomorrow will seal a fourth consecutive Premiership title for Celtic, and leave only Aberdeen in their way in the Scottish Cup final as they bid for a sixth Treble in nine seasons.
McGregor leads Celtic in training ahead of their potential title coronation this weekend
Four league defeats in 2025 have left some questioning the relative strength of this current Celtic side, but McGregor insists their achievements should not be underestimated.
‘I think (the team’s success) has desensitised everyone to actually how difficult it is,’ he said. ‘It just sort of becomes expected, it becomes the norm.
‘But then the players have to live with that because it’s the standards they’ve set.
‘The level of player, the level of team we’ve managed to build here over the last 10 years or so has been a really successful team.
‘So every year the expectation is there. It grows and grows and you have to stay with that as a player.
‘It’s a kind of double-edged sword for us because we are the ones that have set that expectation.’
