HAS Beram Kayal become expendable?

Perhaps. Should Celtic look to sell him in the transfer window? Only if they get an astronomical offer.

He's struggled to recapture the form which made him such a big favourite when he first arrived at the club.

I quickly assessed that, of all the players Neil Lennon had brought in, he had all the attributes to move to the Barclays Premier League.

Beram's game looked tailor-made to allow him to step into a team down south. He has a good range of passing, reads the game well and has decent strength.

This makes the £1.2million Celtic paid for him excellent value for money – especially if, as reported, managers like Chris Hughton, who attended the game against Motherwell on Wednesday, are prepared to pay £5m for him.

Unfortunately for Beram, a number of injuries have interrupted his career at Celtic, and he has not yet recaptured his very best form.

He is competing for a place in the strongest area of the team, with the likes of Victor Wanyama, Scott Brown and Joe Ledley all vying for starting positions in there.

Beram does offer something a bit different from all of these players, but it is not always exactly what Neil wants.

However, there are games in which his skill set is precisely what is required, so I can understand why the manager wants to have him available.

That's been particularly true in Europe. And, if it was not for their continued Champions League involvement, the club might be more willing to listen to any offers for Beram.

But unless it is a crazy bid, and from a club which appeals to the player, I would recommend they sit tight.

Put it this way, if someone is willing to pay a huge price in January, the chances are they will still want him in June.

Of course I am just calling it as I see it. I am not privy to all that is going on behind the scenes at Parkhead, and perhaps Neil already has plans for replacing Beram.

If they do decide to sell him, I would be happy if they re-invested the money in what you would call a loose No.10, someone who could provide a bit more creativity in the last third of the pitch.

With Rami Gershon on his way in and Rabiu Ibrahim already transferred to Kilmarnock, Celtic have clearly been preparing for the window opening.

But with the income from the Champions League, I agree with Neil that he really does not need to do much more than tweak his squad this month.

It must be a nice position to be in, knowing you don't have to sell or even consider any offers, unless they are exceptional.

He is also correct when he suggested players will be reluctant to leave with so much happening at the club, both domestically and in Europe.

Can the likes of Norwich offer this?

Like all Premier clubs, the Canaries can offer big wages. But players can earn a decent amount with Celtic, and, when bonuses are added along with the chance to win trophies, it's still an attractive package.

It's the rest of the clubs in Scotland who have the real problem. And it's not just the Premier or even the Championship sides who can entice their best guys south.

Look at Sheffield United taking Jamie Murphy from Motherwell to League One yesterday. With the new TV deal about to add to the wealth of top teams in England, the gulf between the money on offer south of the border and up here will only widen.

It makes Celtic's long-term policy of unearthing raw talent and developing young players into much more valuable assets even more crucial.

So fans have to accept that, one day, these players they have watched mature and improve at Parkhead have to be sold on.

Neil will spend the next four weeks hoping that any such business can be deferred until the summer because he has so much more he wants to achieve with this particular group.

The hard work has been done in the first half of the season. It would be good if they were allowed to see the job through.

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