Celtic can’t afford to make Leigh Griffiths unhappy

Follow us on Google Discover

Leigh Griffiths’s situation at Celtic doesn’t look too encouraging at the moment.

Leigh Griffiths can’t be a happy bunny at Celtic and with January around the corner, few would be surprised if he gives manager Brendan Rodgers an ultimatum.

The Scottish hitman has been an unused substitute in Celtic’s last three games. Not only is he behind Moussa Dembele in the pecking order, but it appears as if Odsonne Edouard, who scored a hat-trick against Motherwell earlier this month, is also ahead of him at the moment.

For a man who told The Glasgow Evening Times in June that he wouldn’t play second fiddle for the whole season, the fact he is now third fiddle is likely to frustrate him a great deal and there is every chance he could try and leave the club next month.

The odd thing is that Griffiths might still be the Hoops’ best striker, despite his current predicament. Quite a lot of Celtic fans on Twitter think so and they’ll be furious with Rodgers if he leaves.

This is a man who scored 40 goals in Ronny Deila’s last season – 10 more than Dembele managed last term – and it seems like the Northern Irish manager is squeezing him out. You could argue that it is simple rotation, but Griffiths has started one game under Rodgers since the end of October.

That isn’t rotation and if Rodgers snubs him again on the weekend then it’s time for Celtic fans to ask serious questions. It isn’t controversial to suggest that Dembele isn’t going to be in Glasgow in the long term – he is certain to get a bigger move away in the near future – while Edouard is only on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.

It’s very possible that neither will be at Celtic by August which is why it’s so much more important to keep Griffiths – valued at £6 million, according to The Record – happy.

He is an outstanding goalscorer in Scotland and squeezing him out of the picture by making him the third-choice option indicates a lack of foresight from Rodgers and fans could and should be irate if those snubs contribute to his departure next month.