Celtic is already selling “incredible” Taylor alternatives

Everything is set to change this year in terms of Brendan Rogers’ left-back at Celtic.

The current player in that position of the hoop has not been signed to the club since June 30th. Local heroes are also poised to return to Parkhead.

But did Celtic give up the best left-back of them at just £39,000 after never making a competitive appearance at the club?

The latest in the future of Greg Taylor at Celtic

Following Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Hart, manager Rodgers confirmed left-back Greg Taylor is likely to leave the club at the end of his June contract, saying “it’s more likely to go further than Greg will be staying.”

Rogers said, “I know that if Greg moves, I need to have someone else… it’s a huge shame for me because I love him.”

Croatian outlet Jutarnji list Davorin Olivari has previously reported that Gnk Dinamo Zagreb “sent an offer” to Taylor and is about to snap him up with a free transfer.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Schulp took Taylor in a pecking order, opening the final four premiership matches and the away leg for Munich.

Anyway, Kieran Tierney reportedly reportedly agreed to rejoin his boyhood club at Arsenal’s bossman.

Of course, Tierney is definitely a fan favorite in Glasgow, and his return will bring fanfare when it’s announced, but did Celtic sell an even more impressive left back for another £39,000?

Celtic Forgotten Former Left Back is on fire with MLS

In January 2019, Celtic signed the 22-year-old defender under the name Andrew Gutman of the Indiana Hoosiers after the Americans were on trial for their fierce rival Rangers.

Gutman said he was “really honored” to make the move, adding, “I can’t wait to join Celtic and become a part of such a renowned institution.”

Well, unfortunately for Gutman, he didn’t play many roles and did not make a competitive appearance in the hoops. It was loaned to both FC Cincinnati in USL League 1 in Charlotte Independence and Major League Soccer, and then moved permanently to MLS Atlanta United with a general allocation in March 2021.

Since then, Gutman has spent time at both New York Red Bull and Colorado Rapids, bouncing pretty far around MLS before joining the Chicago Fire ahead of the start of the 2024 season.

Back in his Illinois homeland, Gutman really saw his home under Greg Belharter this season, winning both FC Dallas and Toronto, earning a rave review from “incredible” athletic Felipe Cardenas.

So let’s assess how his statistics compare to Taylor.

As outlined by the table, during similarly sized sample sizes, Gutman’s performance in MLS is similar to that of Taylor in the Premiership, with Americans actually at the top of most defensive metrics.

Also, according to global soccer rankings, Major League Soccer is the ninth strongest category on the planet, making it 34th.

So perhaps it was a mistake for Gutman to leave for a small fee. We believe he’s about 15 times more than he was sold, especially considering that Transfermakt believes his current market value is around 586K, as Taylor could have been upgraded if he had been given the opportunity.