Sinclair tells Celtic he wants to leave amid Derby interest – Should Lennon let him go?

Scott Sinclair has reportedly told Celtic that he wants to leave the club this month after coming close to completing a move to Derby County on Thursday.

According to Football Insider, the Rams mounted a deadline day move for the 30-year-old but failed to agree a deal with Celtic, leading to Sinclair reportedly informing officials at the club of his desire to leave.

So should Neil Lennon allow the winger to move on before the transfer deadline next month? 

read celtic verdict

It’s a tricky one to handle for the Celtic boss, this.

Keeping a reportedly unhappy player at the club can obviously have a negative impact on the rest of the squad, but Sinclair is an important figure for the Hoops.

Following his move from Aston Villa in 2016, the winger has won all there is to win in Scotland and made a number of important contributions in front of goal, finding the back of the net 61 time in his 163 appearances for the club. 

And whilst he will clearly prove difficult to replace, I’ve always thought that when a player has his heart set on a move, allowing them to leave is the best thing to do, but only once you’ve either signed a replacement or have a player lined up to come in.  

Losing Sinclair would be a blow, but Celtic would still have a strong choice of attacking options, and have over three weeks of the transfer window remaining to sign a replacement.