Odsonne Edouard was not the first Celtic player to leave Glasgow for a mid-table Premier League club.
But, as the former Parkhead hero watched on from the bench while Patrick Vieira’s side picked up four points from a possible six against Manchester City and Arsenal – after hammering Everton in the FA Cup quarter-finals – the phrase ‘cautionary tale’ came to mind.
Celtic, barring a stunning collapse, will win the Scottish Premiership title this season. And, with it, seal automatic qualification for the Champions League group-stages.
So a penny for the thoughts of Edouard – not to mention Kristoffer Ajer, Ryan Christie, Stuart Armstrong and even Kieran Tierney. Of the aforementioned quintet, only one has a sliver of a chance if joining Celtic in the Champions League in 2022/23 and his side were just hammered 3-0 at Selhurst Park.
The Scottish Premiership might not be able to match the money or the prestige on offer south of the border. That is a big reason why the likes of Edouard and Ajer – plus Victor Wanyama and Gary Hooper before them -turned their backs on Celtic in favour of clubs like Palace, Brentford, Southampton and Norwich.
But it’s difficult to make a case for why Cameron Carter-Vickers should turn down a permanent move to Celtic in favour of a club in England. Especially after his dramatic winner in the Old Firm derby put the Hoops on the verge of glory.
Will Cameron Carter-Vickers stay at Celtic?
The Sun claim that Watford and Bournemouth are hoping to nick the Tottenham Hotspur loanee from under Ange Postecoglou’s nose. Burnley too (Daily Record).
But there is a decent chance that all three of those clubs will be playing second-tier football while Celtic are going toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain on the biggest of stages.
Wolves, Leicester and West Ham, linked via TEAMtalk, may hold more appeal. But none of those can offer Carter-Vickers the guaranteed first-team football he’ll get at Celtic.
Wolves, Leicester and West Ham have all flirted with Champions League football in recent seasons without ever getting over the line. But Celtic can, and more than likely will.
Carter-Vickers would be a fool to walk away now.
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