OPINION
Celtic star Scott Sinclair is pondering crisis talks with the club over terminating his contract, according to Football Insider, and it would be the best course of action for both parties.
Sinclair was free to find a new club in the summer but was still a Celtic player when the transfer window slammed shut on Monday.
Football Insider claim that his £30k-a-week salary is an issue, with clubs unwilling to pay a fee and the £1.5m-a-year wages.
End of the line for Sinclair
Sinclair burst onto the Premiership when he signed for Celtic and scored an incredible 21 goals in 35 league games in the 16/17 season, adding eight assists.
According to WyScout, he boasted an xG of 0.57 and had close to three shots per 90 minutes.
He only scored 10 league goals in the 17/18 season, nine in the 18/19 season and has hardly played in the 19/20 campaign.
He made three cameo appearances in Champions League qualifying this summer but has only made it onto the pitch once in the Premiership, for 11 minutes against Motherwell.
He was dropped from the squad entirely for the past two league games and Mohamed Elyounoussi, James Forrest, Mikey Johnstone, Jonny Hayes, Ryan Christie, Lewis Morgan and Marian Shved are all ahead of him in the wide pecking order at Celtic.
£30k-a-week is a lot of money and Celtic must surely try to find a compromise that would save them money.
A compromise would be the best for the player too. At 30-years-old he’s still got years in the tank and, according to Football Insider, had interest from England and overseas.
Despite reduced game time, he still scored 17 goals across all competitions last season and while Neil Lennon obviously prefers Mikey Johnstone, it’s a bit strange that he finds himself behind Lewis Morgan.
However, whatever the reasons behind the scenes, his time with Celtic is clearly up.
Football Insider mention the MLS and that would seem like the ideal place for Sinclair to play out one last contract.
Coming to terms over the remainder of his contract is the best option for club and player.