Greg Taylor had the unenviable task of taking over from Kieran Tierney after the popular Celtic left-back joined Arsenal in 2019.
Signed for £3m from Kilmarnock, Taylor took a bit of time to settle at the club and it really wasn’t until Ange Postecoglou came to the club that we saw the best of him.
The inverted fullback role seemed to suit the young Scotsman and he became a first pick under Postecoglou as picked up five winners medals under the Australian including another treble.
However, under Brendan Rodgers, Taylor struggled to find that same form and it led to him getting some criticism from the Celtic fans for his performances this season.
But Andy Walker believes the Hoops support have it all wrong as he explains exactly why Taylor is so important to Celtic right now.
Greg Taylor’s ‘killer’ passing is important for Celtic
The former Celtic striker admits he likes Taylor and despite his defensive weaknesses, Walker says the fullback is an important part of Celtic’s attack.
Walker said [The Go Radio Football Show], “I like him. I know there is a section of the Celtic support that would much rather have just a different name, a different left back and is not happy about his level of performance.
“I think he’s still got it. I think he’s got a lot to offer and I think he’s a type of fullback that completes some real killer passes.
“And I’m not talking about a pass from the middle of the park out wide to a winger. I’m talking about a ball inside the box that a striker can run onto and finish first time.
“He’s got the ability. He’s played there at an earlier stage of his career. He knows what it takes to play a killer pass. I think he does it often.”
Where I feel Walker has a point is that when Greg Taylor was out of the team, it was clear he was a miss.
And in part, that was due to his backup being so poor. Alexandro Bernabei was used by Rodgers to get Celtic through a period where Taylor wasn’t available.
And it’s fair to say that he is nowhere near the quality of the Scotland fullback. And whilst I agree that Celtic must look to strengthen that area of the team, Taylor still does have something to offer Celtic for the remainder of this season, at least.
