Celtic midfielder James McCarthy has been for the most part on the fringes of the Hoops squad since he joined the club last season. 

This season he has rarely featured for the Bhoys, and has been limited to only 62 minutes of first-team action, and he hasn’t played for the Hoops since October.

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With the transfer window closing at midnight, Celtic should be looking to move the player on, either on a permanent or loan deal, as it would be the best thing for the player and the club.

What could prevent a permanent deal is the fact that the player is still under contract with the Hoops until 2025, which is another two seasons. It seemed like a bit of an error to give the former Crystal Palace man such a long-term contract when he first joined the club, and so it has been proved, as the chances of McCarthy featuring for the Hoops this season have to be considered very slim.

Celtic have not made that many mistakes in the transfer market recently, but giving McCarthy a long-term deal looks to be one. The signing itself made sense, as Celtic were having to rebuild under Ange Postecoglou, but the move hasn’t worked out for the player or the club for the most part.

On the plus side, McCarthy does seem to be popular in the dressing room, and he hasn’t complained about his lack of playing time, he will understand that the other Celtic midfielders at the club are in excellent form. 

Celtic have a few players that could be doing with leaving in the closing hours of the transfer window, the likes of Oliver Abildgaard and Yosuke Ideguchi fit into the category, and so does McCarthy for the reasons outlined above.

If McCarthy isn’t moved on by the end of the transfer window, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the club looked to agree some sort of deal with the player, to perhaps end his contract at the end of the season. That would mean that the Hoops would have to pay up the last two years of McCarthy’s deal.

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That is not ideal for Celtic, but it might be the best option for the player if no clubs are interested in signing him this evening. 

At the time of writing, it looks like being a quiet final day of the transfer window for the Hoops, but if the opportunity arises, then it would be the right thing to do for Celtic and James McCarthy to part company.