Celtic are reportedly interested in signing the goalkeeper this summer, but his manager has urged the Hoops target to stay.
In comments reported by the Daily Record, Gary Holt has hinted that Liam Kelly would be better off staying at Livingston this summer, amid recent reports from The Scottish Sun which suggested that Celtic are interested in the goalkeeper.
Kelly has enjoyed an outstanding season with Livi, fully vindicating his decision to leave Rangers for their Scottish Premiership rivals last summer. And his form has not gone unnoticed.
The Scottish Sun reported this week that the Hoops are interested in the stopper, who could cost just £50,000 due to a clause in the two-year deal he signed when he left Ibrox.
But, while Holt conceded that Kelly could well have a tough decision to make this summer, he insisted that it could be a mistake to leave for a club where he is not going to be the first choice.
“I’ve always said that teams only want your good players,” Holt said, as reported by the Record. “So it shows what Liam is doing. But he is playing football and he has only played 30-odd games at this level.
“So it’s something Liam will have to weigh up as well. He has got to think about what’s best for his career. He took the choice to come here because he wanted to play, so he will want to continue that. You don’t want to take a knock in your career by going somewhere maybe as a number two fighting for the number one.”
The Scottish Sun’s report noted that Celtic feel that their chances of signing Kelly may be slim if they are only able to offer an understudy role. And Holt’s comments certainly make sense.
If Celtic have no plans to replace Scott Bain as number one in the next year, then Kelly may be better off seeing out the final year of his deal with Livi before moving on on a free transfer if that is what he wants.
He may feel that it is a risk to turn Celtic down if they come calling this summer. But it appears that the smarter decision could be to keep impressing where he is until one of the top sides provide assurances that he will be their number one stopper immediately.
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