Emilio Izaguirre has chosen to cut his ties with Celtic as his agent confirms the Honduran international is looking for a move closer to his home country.
The 33-year-old rejoined the Parkhead outfit for his second spell in Glasgow last summer but struggled to add many games to his record, with just 19 outings across all competitions for the Bhoys.
After turning out 271 times for the Hoops, Izaguirre’s agent Paulo Hernandez has confirmed that he has chosen to bring an end to his time in Glasgow and move on.
He told the Daily Record on their live transfer blog (30/05, 11:21): “Emilio has ended his contract with Celtic. Although he is not continuing there, he remains a legend of Celtic because of what he achieved there and he was incredibly well liked at the club.
“He was a 23-year-old boy who arrived from Tegucigalpa to a big city like Glasgow, which is strong and tough with a terrible climate that he wasn’t used to. Now everything points to him being closer to his extended family in Honduras.”
Opinion
This is a good move for all parties involved. Izaguirre is coming to the end of his career and he will no doubt look to be playing as much as possible before he does eventually hang up his boots. He was not going to get that at Celtic, regardless of whether Kieran Tierney remains in Glasgow this summer, and so moving on was the only real option for him. It gives him the chance to head back closer to his family and after a long career in Glasgow, with a spell away in Saudi Arabia too, he will no doubt relish the chance to return to warmer climes closer to his loved ones. He will be fondly remembered at Celtic for his efforts at the back and this last season was perhaps a sad way for him to go out. Still, not everything can finish perfectly and it makes sense for the Honduran to bring this chapter of his career to a close. Celtic will need to find another defender to fill the void – whether that is someone for the starting XI or as backup will all depend on Tierney’s future.