Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths is still under contract until the end of this month.
The 30-year-old hasn’t had the extra year triggered by Celtic and they will now have to get around a table to renegotiate a deal to keep him at the club.
Speaking honestly about last season, Leigh believes he was hard done by at times by the coaching staff.
Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday morning, the striker was very honest and revealed he text Neil Lennon after the manager had left his post and was upset he was dropped after the St Mirren defeat.
Asked about his fitness and if he wasn’t fit all season, Leigh said: “That’s what was coming out of the club and I’m thinking to myself, if you’re not fit you’re not going to be part of the squad until you are.
“That’s my take on it – you would have to ask the coaches at Celtic or Lenny why he didn’t think I was fit. Given the run I had after the Scottish Cup final, in December I played 6 or 7 on the bounce.
Connie McLaughlin brought up Neil Lennon’s comments on the player when the Irishman was at the BBC last week. Leigh replied “I actually read it – I had a run of games in December/January time and I messaged him after he was let go, that I said obviously one bad 45 minutes against St Mirren when we got beat at home, I had a bad 45 minutes, but I wasn’t the only one. After that, I wasn’t seen again until the Falkirk game – two months later. That game was the last one I started.
Asked if he felt harshly treated by the club, Griff replied: “From the club’s point of view, I’m not badly treated at all.”
Referring to last season’s coaching team, he felt he was let down at times “At times, yeah, as I say the run I got from December through to the end of January I was fine, I was starting games and playing well.
“The only game I didn’t play more than 60 minutes was at Ibrox, when we were playing well then got a man sent off – I was the one that came off. Apart from that, I’d scored goals, I was assisting goals, playing well then obviously that bad 45 minutes against St Mirren was the turning point.”
The supporters are split over if Leigh should continue his career at Celtic. It’s been so long since he had a real impact at the club but going through a transition, it might be a necessity to keep the striker as we undergo a rebuild over several transfer windows.
Our lack of preparation for the season ahead is frightening at the moment. We really don’t know at this point what kind of team Ange Postecoglou will put out in our first Champions League qualifier on July 20th.
It’s going to be interesting to say the very least.
