While new additions will no doubt be on the agenda for Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou this summer, the 57-year-old will also likely be concerned with shifting the 'deadwood' in his squad, with there undoubtedly a handful of first-team assets in need of a fresh start elsewhere.
One man who has endured a dismal time of it at Parkhead in recent seasons is boyhood fan, James McCarthy, with the experienced midfielder having been restricted to just 27 appearances since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, with only five of those coming this term.
Although the Republic of Ireland has been hampered by injury of late, even prior to that the 32-year-old had looked like something of a spare part, with reports leading up to the January transfer window having suggested that the Old Firm outfit were open to letting the Glasgow-born dud move on.
Having been signed on a free transfer back in the summer of 2021, the Hoops may now be regretting the "strange" decision to hand the ex-Everton and Crystal Palace man a four-year deal – in the words of pundit Alan Hutton – with the club now forced to pay the player's £14k-per-week salary despite seeing little return on that investment.
The hope will be that the peripheral figure can find a new home ahead of next season, although McCarthy is not the only forgotten man who Postecoglou should be keen to sell, with goalkeeper, Vasilis Barkas, also seemingly having no future at Celtic Park.
Will Barkas leave Celtic this summer?
While the recruitment during Postecoglou's tenure has arguably been "exceptional" – as per ex-Bhoys skipper Scott Brown – the Scottish champions didn't always carry out astute business prior to the Greek-Aussie's arrival, with Barkas, in particular, having been a clear example of those shortcomings.
The Greece international was snapped up for a rather hefty fee of around £4.5m back in the summer of 2020 during Neil Lennon's tenure, having previously established himself as the first-choice option at AEK Athens.
As pundit Tam McManus previously stated, the underwhelming stopper has since proven a "waste of money" as far as those at Paradise are concerned, having made just 15 Scottish Premiership outings during his debut season before being replaced by backup option, Scott Bain.
The 6 foot 5 dud – who was branded "awful" at the time by pundit Frank McAvennie – was handed another chance to impress at the start of last amid Postecoglou's arrival, although notably dropped a clanger in the Champions League qualifying encounter against FC Midtjylland.
The subsequent signing of Joe Hart ended any hopes of Barkas establishing himself as the first-choice pick, with the 13-cap asset going on to make just two appearances in total throughout the entire 2021/22 season.
Having spent the current campaign on loan at Eredivisie side FC Utrecht – where he has conceded 45 goals in 28 league games – the error-strewn 'keeper is now believed to be at the centre of something of a 'transfer battle', as per the Glasgow Times, with there a potential for Celtic to spark a bidding war once the market re-opens.
On the evidence of that interest, it looks as if the Old Firm side will be able to ditch the one-time Atromitos man sooner rather than later…
