Celtic could be set to make a big mistake if they allow Cameron Carter-Vickers to walk out the door this summer.
What’s the situation?
The American defender is currently on loan at the club, having made the move to Celtic Park last summer, but according to Celtic journalist Kieran Devlin, who was writing during a Q&A for The Athletic, he may very well be staying at the club a little bit longer.
He claimed about the 24-year-old: “Celtic have first say with their option-to-buy and they definitely want him, but ultimately it’ll be down to the player, I believe.”
Devlin did note that Carter-Vickers wanted to join Newcastle United in the summer, “but their interest wasn’t serious enough” so his parent club Tottenham Hotspur offered him to Celtic instead.
The journalist added: “Whether he now feels at home at Celtic or whether his performances attracting EPL attention will swivel his head.”
A tough ask, but not totally impossible
So it sounds as if there is a chance for the move to be made permanent, but they might need to do a lot to persuade him to stay.
For instance, if they manage to win the title and qualify directly for the Champions League group stages next season – something that they are on course to do with a three-point lead at the top at present and would bring £40m to the club, that could offer Celtic a huge chance to become a force once again. It might also be enough to convince Carter-Vickers to stick around just a little bit longer as they look to move forward as a club.
Why they need to go all out
If you look at what Carter-Vickers brings to the club, whilst he is lacking when it comes to tackles – only averaging one per game, which ranks joint-12th in the side – he performs a lot better in other areas, ranking fourth in interceptions, joint-second in blocks as well as first in clearances and aerial duels per game. The American also has the highest average rating of any centre-back with 7.31 (via WhoScored).
So in effect, Celtic would arguably be losing their best defender this summer if they let him walk, and having done that a few times in the past in the form of Virgil van Dijk, Kristoffer Ajer and Kieran Tierney to name but a few, you have to wonder when this cycle will stop for the club.
As explained earlier, they could well use this summer to become a club that doesn’t have to sell their key players to keep going, and bringing Carter-Vickers in on a permanent deal would serve as a real statement.
Has Carter-Vickers impressed you so far?
Yes
No
TIF Verdict on Cameron Carter-Vickers…
For the reasons laid out above, Celtic must do all they can to bring Carter-Vickers back this summer, but the key thing for them will be making sure that they put themselves in the best position to do so, because as Devlin hints at, he might not be totally set on Celtic right now.
If Newcastle do come in for him again as they could have done last year, given the funds that they can offer for wages and their grander ambitions, it might be hard to keep his head turned towards Celtic Park if they can’t offer things like Champions League football.
So if Celtic want to keep hold of him, it really will be a case of title or bust, because failing to do that will not only hit them in terms of their potential bank balance, but also the calibre of player that they can attract, with Carter-Vickers being one of them.
In other news: ‘Moaning about everything’ – Journalist blasts Celtic who are ‘pretty quiet now’