Celtic star who played 0 minutes was shown why he must be given the axe
da doce： Celtic’s dream of winning another domestic treble took another step closer to becoming a reality when they beat Hibernian 2-0 at Parkhead in the SFA Cup on Sunday.
da poker： The Hoops are 16 points clear in the Scottish Premiership table, and they beat Rangers to win the League Cup earlier this season, which means that winning the SFA Cup will likely clinch a treble.
Brendan Rodgers’ side secured the win over Hibs thanks to a first-half strike from Daizen Maeda and a stoppage-time finish by substitute Adam Idah, but they were not the only strong performers on the day.
January signing Jeffrey Schlupp, who is on loan from Premier League side Crystal Palace, put in an impressive performance at left-back for the Scottish giants.
Jeffrey Schlupp's strong Celtic impression
The Ghana international caught the eye with a strong showing on the left flank against Hibs, earning a player rating of 8/10 from 67HailHail and an 8/10 rating from GlasgowWorld, who wrote that he was a ‘real threat’ with his attacking play.
Chalkboard
Schlupp started for the third match in succession in all competitions and has continued to catch the eye with his fantastic performances for his temporary club.
The Eagles loanee had just come off the back of a sensational showing against St Mirren in Celtic’s last Premiership match, as he produced a goal and an assist in the 5-2 win, and this latest masterclass may have just sealed Greg Taylor’s fate.
Why Greg Taylor's fate may be sealed
The Scotland international was an unused substitute and played zero minutes in the quarter-final win over Hibernian, with Rodgers opting for Schlupp ahead of him for the entire 90 minutes.
That came off the back of him being an unused substitute in two of the previous three games, making it three of the last four, and he was hauled off at half-time against Hibs in the league in the match he did play.
This suggests that Schlupp is firmly ahead of him in the pecking order, given that the 32-year-old star has been keeping him on the bench, and that spells bad news for his long-term future at Parkhead.
Taylor’s current contract is due to expire at the end of this season and his place in the starting line-up being taken by a new signing does not suggest that he is likely to earn a new one before the summer.
Top ten earners
Celtic squad
Weekly wage
Cameron Carter-Vickers
£37k
Callum McGregor
£37k
James Forrest
£19k
Daizen Maeda
£18k
Alistair Johnston
£16k
Reo Hatate
£16k
Arne Engels
£16k
Adam Idah
£16k
Luis Palma
£16k
Greg Taylor
£15k
Wages via Salary Sport
As you can see in the table above, the former Kilmarnock man is among the highest earners at the club – earning even more than exciting forward Nicolas Kuhn, on £12k-per-week.
When you consider that Kuhn has racked up 18 goals and 13 assists this season, the Hoops are not getting much value for their money if Taylor is an unused substitute more often than not.
Celtic may not want to keep a player who is now deemed a back-up option by Rodgers on an extended deal when his wages do not reflect his current status at the club.
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Therefore, Schlupp’s impressive performances and his grasp on the starting jersey suggest that Taylor’s time at Glasgow may well be coming to an end later this year, unless there is a dramatic twist in the final weeks of the campaign.