Celtic's simple Giorgos Giakoumakis transfer solution - Tony Haggerty

I'm going to stick my neck on the line here and confidently predict that Giorgos Giakoumakis will sign a new and improved deal with Celtic.

Let me clarify that even further by stating that at the time of writing I do not have any particular insider knowledge of this deal (yet). I am just working on a hunch.

A shock exit in January and an unhappy striker make for wonderful headlines. Strong European interest in the Greece international also makes it juicier.

However, some things just don't stack up for yours truly. The narrative that Giakoumakis is unhappy is a misnomer. I'm with the manager, Ange Postecoglou, on this and his words were telling when he was quizzed about the attacker leaving in January recently.

"I don’t have those kinds of discussions and what I deal with is what I see every day," the Aussie said, classily. "How a player trains and presents himself here is what I deal with. If I see there is any shift there or people are unhappy or have some issues, I’ll deal with it.

"Right now, all I see is the players here training and committed to us as a football club. That is all that concerns me.

"Beyond that, with their contracts, they have representatives who look after them. If there are any issues, they’ll come across my desk. But that is in the background. What’s more important to me is what I see every day. If I am happy with it, all good. If not, I’ll deal with it then.”

Quite right, sir. For Postecoglou, it is always about football. It's always about Celtic.

Remember when he also said this: “They are at Celtic. If that is not happiness for them, I don’t know what is. They can find it somewhere else.

"It is not my job to keep them happy. My job is to make sure that we get the best out of them and give them every opportunity - and they will all get opportunities, they know that. If you want to play at a big club, and this is a big club, the reality of it is that part of that is you will have competition for places.

"It keeps you at your best and also you know you will require a big squad of players. This group of players understands that and they work hard every day. The game is a byproduct of how we train every day and training levels are high because we have a strong squad.

"If you just have a strong 11 then your training levels are not great, which means even the first 11 are not improving at a rate. My job is not to keep them happy; my job is to make sure we keep them ready and able to take their opportunity when it comes along.”

Giakoumakis still has a contract with the Hoops until 2026. So far, talks of an improved deal have hit an impasse. There is a stalemate... but they are not dead in the water.

Where agents are concerned there could well be two narratives at play. However, Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph reported recently that Giakoumakis remains happy with his life in Glasgow and that contract talks are soon set to resume with both parties hopeful of a breakthrough.

The former VVV-Venlo striker may feel he is worth more after a successful first season in Scottish football. Nobody would deny that whatsoever.

Giakoumakis finished last season impressively with 17 goals to help the Hoops seal a dream Scottish Premiership and League Cup double. His return of 13 strikes from 21 Premiership games was the division’s joint-highest alongside Ross County's Regan Charles-Cook.

He has already hit eight goals this season but his frustration may be borne from the fact that Kyogo Furuhashi remains Postecoglou ’s main striker in terms of game-time.

The Japan international has played over 270 minutes more than Giakoumakis so far with the Greek making 14 of his 21 appearances from the bench despite the fact six of his eight strikes have come when he has started.

At 27, Giakoumakis might feel that he has one big career move left in him. However if, as is reported, the striker is happy at Celtic then wouldn't it make sense to stay in a place where you are loved and adored? If anything, his agent should be encouraging him to thrash out an agreement.

Football is littered with players who believe the grass is always greener on the other side. It rarely is when that green is Celtic green and few clubs afford a striker of repute the adulation that you get at Parkhead when you are repeatedly doing the business.

But more than that, he has a young family with two kids under two. Would it really be prudent to up sticks for the second time in 18 months and leave Glasgow's east end at this juncture?

Above all else Giakoumakis is still highly regarded by the man that matters most at the football club: the manager. Despite his lack of starts, Giakoumakis remains a vital cog in the machine. 

That may not be worth anything in monetary terms to the player right now but it is worth a hell of a lot in Postecoglou's Celtic team that's for sure.

If financial promises were made to Giakoumakis after his first season at the club and he is due better recompense then nobody can really say that he doesn't deserve it.

That's why the best solution for all parties concerned is for Giakoumakis to pen an improved deal with the club. The reported willingness on his side to enter into that agreement with Celtic leads me to believe that is exactly how this narrative will end up playing out.

On the park: feed the Greek and he will score. Off the park: without breaking the bank, pay the Greek and he will sign.

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