Celtic pundit Kevin Graham has recently made a claim about Shane Duffy and how his wages could impact the club.
Graham was a guest on the latest episode of the ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ podcast and the panel discussed multiple issues involving the Bhoys. Podcast host Paul John Dykes asked Graham about the fact that Celtic are paying Duffy’s full wages for the duration of his loan spell at Parkhead, and Graham believes that this could cause friction in the Hoops’ dressing room.
Duffy recently confirmed on Twitter that Celtic are paying his full wages. The Irishman arrived at Parkhead on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer transfer window. He is known to be a childhood Hoops fan.
Should Celtic continue to pay Duffy's full wage?
Yes
No
Graham believes that the fact that Celtic are paying Duffy’s full wages could cause friction in the club’s dressing room. He also feels that this is a sign of ambition from the club.
He said: “I didn’t expect that. We all expected the deal to maybe be a 50-50 deal, didn’t we? Because we didn’t expect Celtic to pay his full wage. That means he’s the highest-paid player at the club. And that may cause friction in the dressing room, especially when you’ve got players looking for new contracts. Looking at the wages down south as well, it was interesting to hear that Ryan Christie was saying that he’s not in a rush to sign a new deal, either.
“It shows the ambition of the club, it shows that the club can go to those wages for what will be a short period of time to get the right player in.”
TIF Thoughts…
While Celtic might be paying Duffy’s full wage, the Irishman has picked up the highest WhoScored rating in the league at the club this season – 7.92/10. He has already scored two goals and also has one assist to his name.
The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin has written about how the defender will look to offer tangible and intangible value to the club’s first team during his Celtic stay, noting how Duffy’s arrival has boosted morale, apart from having scored two goals. That shows the importance he carries for Celtic and perhaps, that is why the club are prepared to pay Duffy’s full wage and he might already be doing enough to be worth his salary.