Armstrong told to stay
BRENDAN RODGERS last night warned Stuart Armstrong it is too soon for him to quit Celtic for England. Entering the final year of his contract, the Scotland midfielder is a £10million target for Southampton after failing to commit to a new deal. Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama and Fraser Forster all swapped Glasgow for huge salaries at the English Premier League club. However, speaking as Dedryck Boyata emerged as a Champions League injury doubt after taking a bang on the knee in a 0-0 draw with Slavia Prague, Rodgers
hopes Armstrong will stay put, saying: ‘Players’ careers are very short and Stuart understands what he has.
‘Everything has to be right. I think this is the best place for him.
‘I know the Premier League inside out and if he wants to go there, then okay — he can still get there. But to arrive at the right moment is important — to arrive as an established European player, winning trophies and with more international experience.
‘I understand why anyone would want to play in England as I worked there. But to arrive in the best moment you can is the way to do it.
‘I think there’s more development in Stuart by staying at a huge club like this. There’s not many clubs he will find bigger than this.’ Ex-Swansea and Liverpool manager Rodgers has seen players chase the money to the detriment of their long-term career.
Convinced that Armstrong can re-sign for Celtic and still entice a big move later, he added: ‘I’ve had players leave for financial gain — and I’m not criticising that. But when I speak to them later they can say: “It didn’t happen for me when I left”.
‘It’s a hard choice. Stuart is 25 and, if he takes care of his body, he has 10 more years left.
‘I think his best years are ahead of him when he matures as a footballer. If he has another year or 18 months and he wants a move he can go to a great club where he can go and play.’
Talks between Armstrong (above) and Celtic were shelved before the Scottish Cup final in May.
Optimistic he can still persuade the PFA Scotland Player of the Year nominee to commit to an extension, Rodgers said: ‘We want him to stay. He’s important and he can develop and push on this year and get more experience of European football. That will add even more value.
‘With Stu and Moussa (Dembele) and others, there’s obviously lots of gossip and speculation and agents will be drumming up interest.
‘Whether it’s Moussa, Stuart or KT (Kieran Tierney) — it’s out of my control. Most of the players are signed to long-term deals, but Stu has a year to run.
‘Stuart is a great boy and one I want to keep. Hopefully over the course of this pre-season he has an extension and a new deal.’
Rodgers, meanwhile, is still working on securing a new signing before next week’s Champions League second-round qualifier against Linfield, who secured their dream tie with a 1-0 aggregate win over La Fiorita following a 0-0 draw in San Marino last night.
‘The club is working hard to conclude a deal,’ said the Celtic boss. ‘Hopefully, it can be done at some point this week.
‘I am pretty calm. It is about waiting for the availability of the right quality of player.
‘It needs to be a player who can add to the squad. We don’t need to bring in any cover player. It needs to be a player who can come in and really contribute.’