Celtic right to end reported interest in Crystal Palace outcast Jordon Mutch

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The Crystal Palace midfielder looks certain to leave Selhurst Park but will not be signing for Celtic.

Just a few months ago, you’d have got short odds on Jordon Mutch exiting Crystal Palace in the January transfer window. And, a week and a half into the first month of 2017, his departure still seems inevitable but the favourites have changed.

The Daily Record claimed in November that Brendan Rodgers’ side were mulling over the prospect of parting with a £2.5 million fee, plus £35,000 in wages, for the 25-year-old.

Now, however, the trail appears to have grown cold, with reports linking him with a Championship move appearing to put an end to any lingering speculation that Celtic could be willing to add Mutch to their ranks.

GetReading claimed last month that Reading were interested in offering him a lifeline in January before Royals manager Jaap Stam confirmed to the same publication that he regarded the target as a ‘quality player’.

Crystal Palace’s Jordon Mutch celebrates scoring their first goal

However, this should not be construed as Celtic missing out on a top target. Far from it. In fact, Mutch could have considered himself very fortunate to be given an opportunity to kick-start his career with the Scottish champions after falling dramatically out of favour at Selhurst Park.

With Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong forming an excellent partnership in the centre of midfield, and highly-rated newcomer Kouassi Eboue adding competition alongside the gifted Tom Rogic, Mutch would hardly have found game time any easier to come by in Glasgow.

In short, Celtic have little use for a midfielder who looked set to establish himself as one of the Premier League’s most purposeful players after standing out in an otherwise middling Cardiff City team in 2013/14, netting seven goals from the centre of the park.

However, it’s fair to say his progress stalled since signing for Crystal Palace in January 2015 after just six months with QPR, managing only 11 league starts in two-and-a-half seasons in the capital.

Crystal Palace’s Jordon Mutch in action with Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe

And, in truth, he has done very little since his impressive stint in South Wales to suggest that he would be anything other than a sporadic squad player north of the border.