Celtic outcast Scott Sinclair is keen on leaving the club in January and has already told his close friends that he wants to depart Parkhead, as per Football Insider.
Sinclair, currently 30, has been out of favour at the club this season under Neil Lennon. The report says that the Englishman is on Derby County’s radar and the Rams are keen on bolstering their attack in the upcoming winter transfer window.
They go onto claim that the former Aston Villa man has informed his friends about his wishes to leave the club as soon as possible. His contract at the club runs out at the end of the season and he is looking for a cut-price exit in the winter.
Hero under Rodgers
This season, Sinclair is yet to make a single league start for the Hoops even though he has appeared twice from the bench to play only 17 minutes. He did play three times in the Champions League qualifying games, scoring once. He also scored in the only League Cup appearance he has made in the current campaign.
This is in stark contrast to how things were for the English last season and under Brendan Rodgers. He played 55 times in all competitions last season, scoring 17 times and assisting six times too.
In the 2017-18 campaign too, the £3.6m-rated winger (per TransferMarkt) had made 55 appearances in all competitions. He found the back of the net 18 times and racked up 17 assists as well.
He had joined the club from Villa in the summer of 2016 for a fee of £3m. Since then, Sinclair has featured 166 times in all competitions for the club and has found the back of the net 62 times too.
He has also played for Swansea, Chelsea, Plymouth Argyle, Birmingham City and current English Champions Manchester City.
TIF Tactics
Over the last three years, Sinclair was the Hoops’ first-choice left winger but also often played in the attacking midfield and sometimes as a second-striker too. But that position appears to have now been taken over by the club’s summer loan signing Mohamed Elyounoussi.
The Norwegian has impressed for Celtic this season, while predominantly playing on the left. He has played 12 times in all competitions and has 13 goal contributions to his name already so far.
Because of Elyounoussi’s performances, Sinclair finds himself in a difficult position. Indeed, at the age of 30, he needs first-team football to play out the potential last few years of his career well. The fact that his contract at the club runs out at the end of the season should be a positive as it will allow him to leave quicker. It should also help potential suitors sign him cheaply.