THE absence of Kris Commons from the Celtic squad in the Highlands at the weekend caused an increase in speculation about his future.

It later emerged that the Scottish Player of the Year had suffered an injury in training at Lennoxtown last week and was left out of the pool for the match against Ross County as a precaution.

But with Commons being linked with a move to Bolton, where Neil Lennon was appointed manager last week, his no-show got tongues wagging.

It underlined what I said last week - the Parkhead club really need to get last season's top scorer tied up on a new contract as soon as possible.

I certainly understand why former Hoops boss Lennon would be interested in taking Commons to the Macron Stadium, considering the great job the player did for him at Celtic.

But would the forward be interested in joining a club in the lower reaches of the English Championship where he's played before?

It remains to be seen. Sure, he could probably go down there and help Bolton move up from the bottom of the league. But would that challenge interest him at this stage in his career, especially when he can win trophies and titles with Celtic and play in Europe?

As I have said before, if he is happy at Parkhead and his wife and family are settled in Scotland, then why would he leave?

However, the fact the former Scotland frontman has not yet put pen to paper on a new contract suggests he hasn't been offered the deal he wants.

Commons will be free to negotiate with other clubs from January.

Maybe the stories linking him with another club will convince Celtic to tweak the deal they have put on the table for him.

Clearly, though, the 31-year-old player does not appear to be happy with what his representatives are telling him at present.

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here