It came out of the blue, but Jeffrey Schlupp is producing the goods for Celtic.
When Celtic signed Schlupp in January on a loan deal until the end of the season from Crystal Palace, this was supposed to be the return of Kieran Tierney.
Alex Valle, who was on loan from Barcelona until the end of the campaign, had his spell cut short and everyone thought that Tierney was re-joining early from Arsenal.
But, for one reason or another, it wasn’t meant to be, and, unexpectedly, Brendan Rodgers knocked on the door of his former player and brought him in on transfer deadline day.
Fast forward to the present, and Schlupp is performing very well for Celtic, including starting the 3-0 win over Hearts over the weekend to push the Treble-chasers closer to the Premiership title.
The Celtic Park faithful have mainly seen the 32-year-old play at left-back, but that’s not the only thing the one-time Premier League title winner has in his locker.
Photo by Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Jeffrey Schlupp’s versatility lauded amid calls to be Kieran Tierney’s back-up at Celtic
Tierney is expected to be Celtic’s main guy at left-back next season, with Greg Taylor set to leave when his contract expires and no other options, as of this moment.
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But Craig Moore is backing Schlupp to sign a permanent contract at Celtic and become that squad player, as he told Go Radio.
Moore also explained the invaluable quality Schlupp has in his locker that not many of his own teammates can even bring to the table.
“Versatile, which I don’t think there are too many within the squad that have that real versatility,” said Moore.
“Schlupp, and Brendan touches it there, in terms of the expectation and the pressures, so that has been something different for him up here because, as much as I love Crystal Palace, my former club, the expectation at Crystal Palace isn’t to win every match, so there is that adjustment.
“But he is a proper professional and he is at an age where he can certainly be able to guide others around him also.
“With this conversation around about the Taylor and Schlupp, and of course, Tierney and all of that sort of stuff.
“Maybe Schlupp is somebody that is happy enough to be around next season, as maybe not a starting player. You don’t know because you expect Kieran Tierney to be the starter.”
Schlupp’s stats for Celtic
If Schlupp wants a new deal, then he is doing everything right to knock on that door and make himself heard on that pitch.
Not only has he performed well, but he has also knocked Taylor off the starting perch and produced strong displays in the Champions League.
This is all without having a pre-season under his belt and barely playing 100 minutes for Crystal Palace this term, as WhoScored rates his performances over seven.
Tournament Apps Mins Goals Assists MotM Rating
Premiership 5(2) 485 1 1 1 7.24
Champions League 1(1) 115 – – – 7.09