When asked to reel off the star names at Parkhead this season, Celtic supporters would be quick to put forward the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Cameron Carter-Vickers, with that trio having yet again been integral to the club’s title charge.
One man who is perhaps a more unsung hero, however, is first-choice left-back, Greg Taylor, with the Scotland international having been something of an everpresent for Ange Postecoglou’s side this term.
Despite the Old Firm outfit splashing out £3.75m to sign a direct rival to the £8.2k-per-week menace in the form of Alexandro Bernabei, the former Kilmarnock man has more than risen to the challenge, having started 35 games across all fronts this term.
That consistent run of form – which has seen the 25-year-old provide three goals and three assists in all competitions – has followed the full-back’s “wonderful” performances in last year’s glorious campaign, as per pundit Frank McAvennie, having been an obvious beneficiary of Postecoglou’s arrival in the dugout.
As McAvennie also noted last year, the ten-cap rock has “improved so much” since the Greek-Aussie took charge in the summer of 2021, with that resurgence having been evident amid the defender’s soaring valuation.
How much is Greg Taylor worth now?
Plucked from Rubgy Park by then-Hoops boss Neil Lennon for an undisclosed fee just under four years ago, Taylor initially endured a difficult time of it at the club, with ex-Bhoys playmaker Kris Commons noting that supporters had been “slaughtering his performances” in those early days.
The diminutive asset had been dealt a “raw deal” – according to Commons – after being forced to fill the void of Kieran Tierney on the left side of the defence, with the latter man having made the move to Arsenal for £25m in 2019.
As Commons has since stated, however, it looks as if Taylor has now “stepped out of Tierney’s shadow”, emerging as a real “leader” in Postecoglou’s starting lineup, according to pundit Mark Wilson.
That change in fortunes is showcased by the fact that back in February 2020, during the 5 foot 7 man’s first season at Celtic Park, he was valued at as little as £1m, according to Transfermarkt, albeit with that valuation now soaring to £5m – representing an increase of 400% in the last three years.
As the aforementioned Wilson stated earlier in the campaign, the Greenock-born ace has enjoyed a “tremendous season” for the rampant league leaders, having been “playing some of the best football of his career” in recent times.
Encouragingly, however, it does not appear that Taylor is the finished article just yet, as – in the words of Postecoglou – “there is more to come from him”…
#Celtics #8.2kpw #Rock #Soar
