Celtic squad not listening to transfer rumours but would welcome reinforcements

Celtic defender Greg Taylor has shrugged off the increasing transfer talk around the club as the January trading period draws ever nearer.

Greg Taylor (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

After the success of Kyogo Furuhashi's first six months in Scotland, Ange Postecoglou has been closely linked with a move for three Japanese players including a potential left-back rival for Taylor, in Reo Hatate.

However the Scotland international is blocking out the noise, insisting his focus is on forthcoming games and not arrivals with Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi also tipped to follow Postecoglou’s path to Glasgow.

"We've got that many games that there is no time to check what has been said. I know that we will be linked with a number of players, some being true and some being false, but that's just part and parcel of the game,” said Taylor, ahead of Thursday’s Europa League conclusion against Real Betis. Increasing the competition in the dressing room by strengthening the squad further, he says, is a welcome development.

“We do look forward to having the extra reinforcements and we've got a strong squad as it is.

“There are a lot of boys pushing to play already in the building so if we are adding to that then there's going to be even more competition and that can only improve us hopefully.

“It drives the standard through the roof.

“The manager is a big believer that even if you are one of the boys who are not playing that you still need to be on it during the week as it keeps the levels high for the game on the Saturday and the people who are picked to start."

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