At the end of March, Celtic’s legendary captain, Scott Brown, confirmed that he would be leaving at the end of the season.
Since then, there has been huge speculation regarding the man who can take the armband from such a successful leader.
For many, Callum McGregor seems like an obvious choice. Aside from being one of the most talented, hard-working and determined members of the squad, the Scotland international has demonstrated the passion he has for the club on numerous occasions.
Other fans and media outlets have had opposing ideas about who should be the next Celtic captain. It has been suggested that McGregor is not vocal enough and while he is capable of representing himself exceptionally on the pitch, his ability to represent his entire team has been questioned.
Other in-house squad members that have been suggested are centre half pairing Chris Jullien and Kris Ajer. The latter seems destined for the exit door, attracting interest from England and Germany. For someone so young, Ajer has proven himself to be an important, loud member of the starting XI. Having captained IK Start Kristiansand in Norway at the incredible age of just 17, Ajer is a natural leader and will no doubt take an armband again in his career. However, his time at Celtic Park seems to be coming to an end and he will leave with our best wishes.
Chris Jullien has been a tremendous signing since coming in to replace Dedryk Boyata in 2019. The Frenchman arrived at Celtic with plenty of experience and ready to enter the best part of his career. In his first season, he took command of the defence, putting on some incredible performances in Europe and scoring vital goals against Lazio and Rangers. The former Toulouse defender was sorely missed in the second part of the season after picking up an injury against Dundee United after Christmas. Celtic seem optimistic that Jullien will be back playing sooner than expected with the fan favourite working hard to be ready in time for the new league season.
When Eddie Howe seemed set to take over as manager, there were rumours he was going to bring in his own captain, with Steve Cook linked.
Now, with Ange Postecoglou in charge, the appointment of a willing, caring and capable captain is more important than ever. The Australian will need the help of someone who knows the club and understands the demands of the fans.
Callum McGregor is that captain.
Already one of the most talented and crucial members of the squad, McGregor has learned from the best under the stewardship of Scott Brown and is now of age to take over and be the leader Celtic need.
CalMac has already taken the armband on a number of occasions and, on a personal level, I believe that the accusations that he is not vocal enough are completely unfounded. Even without the armband, McGregor is a leader on the pitch. He is always looking for the ball and is the heart beat of the team.
Many of his teammates have praised him for his ability to lead and his football intelligence. For both Celtic and Scotland, he has proven his willingness to step up and be counted in the big games. Crucial past fixtures against Rangers, Bayern Munich and Zenit come to mind.
For his national team, recent weeks have proven that he can mix with the very best and improves those around him.
There are parallels to be made with Paul McStay who perhaps wasn’t the loudest captain in Celtic history but gave everything he had and showed what it meant to him in a dark period for the club.
Overall, evidence suggests that Callum McGregor would make a fine Celtic captain and could be exactly the sort of figure the club need going into a very new era.
With so many exits expected at Celtic this summer, promoting a man who has been at the club since he was a child would be no bad thing.
