Celtic continued their dominance of Scottish football at the end of last month by claiming their fourth successive Scottish Premiership title with a 5-0 win over Dundee United.
Ryan Strain’s own goal gave the Hoops an early lead in the match before braces from Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah wrapped up a comfortable victory for Brendan Rodgers and his men.
The Glasgow giants, now, have the chance to complete a domestic treble for the second time in three seasons if they can beat Aberdeen in the final of the SFA Cup at Hampden Park at the end of this month.
It has been another successful season for Celtic, irrespective of the result against Aberdeen, as they have already won the Premiership and the League Cup.
Callum McGregor, the Hoops captain, has now won a staggering ten league titles for the club, to go along with eight League Cups and six SFA Cups, although he is yet to taste European glory at Parkhead.
The Celtic skipper turns 32 this summer and is currently contracted through to 2028, but the Bhoys may start to think about what life could look like beyond having him in midfield.
Why Callum McGregor would leave big boots to fill at Celtic
Aside from his leadership qualities and what he brings to the table as the captain, McGregor would leave big boots to fill at Parkhead because of the quality that he provides in the middle of the park.
The left-footed star is a metronomic midfield player who acts as the heartbeat of the team with his ability to dominate and dictate matches with his passes, allowing Celtic to control games in the Premiership.
McGregor has also added a goalscoring touch to his game this season, as shown in the clip above, with eight league goals to his name so far this term.
The bulk of the former Scotland international’s work on the pitch for Celtic, however, is what he does with the ball at his feet as a passer, rather than as a goalscorer, because he is a metronomic presence for the Hoops.
24/25
42
73.6
94.3%
23/24
41
66.3
91.5%
22/23
34
72.5
92%
21/22
42
67.6
90.1%
20/21
44
68.9
90%
19/20
32
64.1
91.3%
As you can see in the table above, McGregor is an incredible passer who has proven, over the last six seasons, that he can consistently find his teammates at an exceptional rate whilst attempting plenty of passes per 90.
This shows that he can retain possession to help Celtic dominate matches, which then allows him to dictate the tempo of games to suit what the team needs.
This shows that McGregor will leave big boots to fill when the Hoops eventually decide that they need to replace him as a regular starter, whenever in the future that may be.
Celtic tipped as possible destination for international star
Former Scotland international Pav Nevin has suggested that there is a star currently playing in one of Europe’s major leagues who could be the next Callum McGregor at Parkhead, and it would be a shock move if it were to happen.
Nevin has claimed that Billy Gilmour is in a “strange” place in his career because he has failed to nail down a regular starting spot at Napoli, having had the same problems with Chelsea, Norwich, and Brighton in England.
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The pundit told the Daily Record: “So you’ve got two choices. Choice number one is accept that’s your career, that’s your life, that’s what happens. You are going to play with some great clubs, win some trophies, people are going to love you and you are going to play until you’re 40 because you’re going to be relaxed and that’s a good career for Billy.
“The other possibility, I wonder if Celtic and Rangers need a controlling, creative player. It is that one where, if he comes up to Celtic or Rangers, he takes over from Callum McGregor or becomes the new Barry Ferguson. That’s it.”
It would be a shock to see Gilmour arrive at Parkhead, because he came up through the ranks at Rangers before his move to Chelsea as a teenager, but he would not be the first player to tread that path.
In fact, current Celtic star Greg Taylor came through the Gers academy before his move to Kilmarnock, from where he then went on to sign for the Hoops, which suggests that it is not an impossible move, albeit it would still be a shock.
Why Billy Gilmour could be the next Callum McGregor
If the Scottish giants were to pursue a move for Gilmour, whether that is this summer or in the future, he could be the dream signing to replace McGregor in the middle of the park.
Like the Celtic captain, the former Rangers academy starlet is a deep-lying central or defensive midfield player whose main qualities revolve around his ability to pass the ball and dictate matches.
Gilmour is not a physical midfielder who patrols the park to make big challenges and win aerial battles. Instead, he is a diminutive star who can use his technical and athletic attributes to help his side dominate games on a regular basis.
The £13.6m-rated star, who currently plays for Napoli in the Serie A, has proven his quality as a metronomic passer during his time in Italy and England.
24/25 (Napoli)
27
59.1
89.4%
23/24 (Brighton)
41
77.1
91.8%
22/23 (Brighton)
17
60.5
90%
21/22 (Norwich)
28
46
83.4%
20/21 (Chelsea)
12
72.5
88.8%
19/20 (Chelsea)
11
65
88.7%
As you can see in the table above, his spell with Norwich, who were relegated from the Premier League that season, is the only time that he has not been an incredibly reliable and frequent passer in the middle of the park.
Typically, Gilmour is a midfielder who attempts and completes a high number of passes per 90 at an exceptional rate, which is what McGregor does for Celtic in midfield for Rodgers.
The 23-year-old star is significantly younger than the Hoops captain and this means that he could be the long-term heir to the Scottish star’s throne in the middle of the park in Glasgow, if the club signed him from Napoli.
Gilmour could, therefore, be McGregor 2.0 for Celtic because he has the passing quality and the experience at the very top level to suggest that he would be a star as a ‘controlling’ midfielder for the club, which is why they should consider making a shock move for his services.
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However, there is nothing to suggest that he is an active target for the club at this moment in time, so it remains to be seen what will happen to Gilmour and his future at Napoli. But, given Nevin’s comments, it is an interesting transfer to think about and one that could be viable in the future.