Rodgers must ruthlessly axe Celtic flop who’s a “bit soft”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will have a host of difficult decisions to make when it comes to the playing squad during the summer transfer window, which opened for business on Sunday.

As well as deciding on players to join the club this summer, with Kieran Tierney already one star who is set to join at the start of next month, the Hoops boss will also have to sanction exits from Parkhead.

It has been reported that winger Luis Palma is working with his agents to seal a permanent or loan exit from Glasgow this summer, after Olympiacos did not take up their option to sign him permanently.

The Honduras international spent the second half of this season on loan with the Greek giants, and is now set to look elsewhere to find a home for the 2025/26 campaign and beyond.

Palma has had his moments in a Celtic shirt, with ten goals and ten assists in 48 matches, but the Hoops are now looking to part ways with him this summer.

One player who has already been ruthlessly ditched by the Scottish Premiership giants this summer, though, is experienced goalkeeper Scott Bain.

How Celtic have reshuffled their goalkeeper ranks

With Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo the clear first and second-choice options for Rodgers between the sticks, Bain was set to be the third choice once again heading into next season.

The Scottish shot-stopper did not play a single minute across any competition for the club this season, and only played three times in all competitions during the 2023/24 campaign.

At the end of last month, the club confirmed that the 33-year-old had left the club, despite having a year left on his contract, as they mutually agreed to part ways.

It has since been confirmed that Bain has agreed a one-year contract to join newly-promoted Falkirk in the Premiership, which could give him a better chance of playing regular football next season.

Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph reported last month that Aberdeen goalkeeper Ross Doohan has agreed to join the club on a free transfer to replace Bain as the third-choice at Parkhead.

As you can see in the table above, Doohan played 15 times in the Premiership this season and could be a decent enough option to call upon if Schmeichel and Sinisalo are both unavailable and the third-choice is needed.

The goalkeeping department is not the only area of the squad that should be addressed, though, as Rodgers should also ruthlessly axe Auston Trusty, after just one year in Glasgow, if there is enough interest in him from elsewhere.

Why Celtic should move on from Auston Trusty

At the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Liam Scales was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for his performances in the left-sided centre-back position for the Hoops in the Premiership.

Despite the Ireland international’s form, and Cameron Carter-Vickers, Stephen Welsh, and Maik Nawrocki being in the squad, Rodgers opted to further bolster his options at the back by signing Trusty.

Celtic reportedly splashed out a fee of £6m to sign the USA international from English Championship side Sheffield United, which shows that they were willing to commit a significant portion of their budget to bring him to Parkhead.

Looking back, it was a slightly strange decision to spend so much money on another option in the left-sided centre-back position when Scales, who is only 26, played in 34 of the club’s 38 Premiership matches last season on his way to being in the Team of the Year.

This did not suggest that there was an imminent need for £6m to be splashed on a new centre-back unless they were a clear and significant upgrade on Scales.

Unfortunately, though, Trusty’s performances in his debut season in Scottish football were not of a high enough standard to prove that he is a better option, and the Irish central defender ended the campaign as the first-choice next to Carter-Vickers once again.

At the start of the year, Rodgers said that Trusty had to do better against Dundee and claimed that he contributed to the team being “a bit soft”, as he was beaten too easily in the air in the clip above to make it 3-3.

As you can see in the table above, the American flop made far too many errors at the back in the Premiership, making four more errors leading to shots or goals in four fewer appearances than Scales.

The Ireland international was also stronger in his duels and did not allow opposition forwards to get the better of him in dribble attempts, which suggests that he was more reliable for Rodgers.

That could be why Scales ended the season as the first-choice left-sided centre-back, including starting the SFA Cup final, and that is why it has been a dismal first year in Glasgow for the £6m signing.

Nawrocki also caught the eye in his three rare Premiership outings, winning 65% of his duels and being dribbled past just once, as he did not make a single error that led to a shot or goal.

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Therefore, Rodgers should instantly and ruthlessly part ways with Trusty after just one year in Glasgow because Scales and Nawrocki appear to be more reliable and quality options ahead of him, which is why Celtic should attempt to recoup as much of the £6m they spent on him as possible this summer.