Regular readers on this site know how I feel about Stuart Armstrong. The guy is a class act. The guy has been one of the best signings of the last five years. He has all the requisite skills to be a top class footballer, anywhere in the UK.
If he stays at Celtic Park the odds are good that we’re talking about a future club captain. That would be excellent.
No-one can be unaware that we’re engaged in contract negotiations with Stuart, and nor can anyone be unaware that those aren’t exactly progressing as everyone would like. They are dragging on and on. His agent and Celtic are said not to be too far apart, but there are rumours, disquieting rumours, that suggest he wants to explore possible options elsewhere … he’s a smart guy and that’s the smart guy thing to do, after all.
Stuart has a year left on his contract. That puts us in a perilous place. The reason there’s so much talk about those negotiations at the moment is that this is getting down to the wire now. In January he can officially open talks with other clubs; the moment for getting this sorted out has arrived. It’s got to be decided, and in this window, or we’re possibly letting a £10 million player walk away for nothing. That’s not something we can afford to do.
So Celtic really has a simple decision to make, and so does the player.
If he stays there’s no reason he won’t be the next Scott Brown. The armband is his for the taking. The guy can write his own chapter in the folklore of the club. Or he can go. Southampton is nice. The club plays good football, and from there he can get a move to another English team.
Of course, that’s a risk. He might never compete for major honours again. He might never see a stadium on a Champions League night from the pitch. The money will be good, but it won’t be terrible at Celtic. Most of us would consider it life-changing cash. He’ll be a wealthy man either way. The choice really is his, but he can’t mess us about as he makes it. He needs to give us an answer, a definitive one, soon so we can make our own decision.
And that decision really is a no-brainer. If Stuart isn’t willing to give us the security of a long-term deal, which means we get good money for him if and when he decides to go, then we have to cut him loose and move on. As much as I love this guy, and want him to stay – and we all do, I expect – this is a no sentiment type situation.
What choice is he giving us, really?
This is the window in which his future needs to be tied up. In the next two months.
There’s no getting away from that simple fact. If he’s staying he has to tell us that and put it on paper. If not we have to sell him, quickly, for whatever we can get and buy someone to fill his position in the team. It puts us on the spot, but the club comes first and uncertainty helps nobody here. We can’t have this guy heading for January when the papers will print that every goal and assist in the meantime could be his last. He will, quite literally, be in the shop window … at our expense.
Not going to happen. This is one of those blood decisions Lawwell is paid to make. Players don’t get to run down the last year of their deal. Not anymore.
Even Brendan will see the value in doing what needs to be done, and amidst all the good words that are being spoken, on all sides of this, in the media I do believe that message will have gotten through in private. There are no silly people at that negotiating table.
Armstrong wants the deal he thinks he’s worth. Brendan gets to decide that, but with one eye ever on the overall budget. Stuart is an asset; Southampton are chancing their arm with that £10 million bid, because if this guy had five years left on his deal they’d need to significantly up that just to get us on the phone. But this is a ruthless business we’re in and everyone involved knows it. We can only protect ourselves by remembering that fact.
Everyone at Celtic wants Stuart to stay.
All told it’s what Stuart wants.
Time to get around the table and hammer this out.
Or not.
One way or another, the clock is ticking down.
A decision, a final decision, has to be made before 1 September … and probably a good bit before then.