Who the hell is Brek Shea, and why is he being wheeled out to tell us CCV and Auston Trusty will leave Celtic?

Yesterday, the Scottish Sun informed us that Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty have been “tipped” to leave Celtic for bigger clubs.

Tipped by whom, exactly?

A former USA international by the name of Brek Shea.

Now, I’ll be honest with you, I had to look him up.

And I’d wager most of you did too.

Seriously, where do they come up with this garbage?

There is no indication whatsoever that either player wants to leave Celtic, and and that includes both of the players the story is supposedly about.

Let’s start with the basics, because the Sun clearly didn’t bother.

Nobody at Celtic is quoted as saying a word about either player moving on.

Neither player is quoted saying it either.

There is no bid in the story, no agent chatter, no whisper from down south, and no “sources close to the player”.

There is just a man in an interview, being asked a question about two fellow countrymen.

That is the entire story.

Carter-Vickers is contracted until 2029, and Trusty is contracted until 2029 as well.

Cameron Carter-Vickers put pen to paper on a new deal in December 2024, which runs until 2029.

Auston Trusty is on a five-year contract that also doesn’t expire until 2029.

That’s three more years for the pair of them, at least.

So these aren’t two players running down their deals and weighing up their options.

They are two of the most important defenders at the club, tied down for the long haul.

Carter-Vickers has lifted ten major honours since arriving from Tottenham.

That includes five league titles and three Scottish Cups.

Does that sound like a man desperate for the exit door?

And how do the players themselves feel about it?

Well, it just so happens that the Sun’s own article tells us.

Carter-Vickers insisted back in August that he was more than happy staying in Glasgow and wasn’t yet itching for a fresh challenge.

Trusty previously described joining Celtic as the “best decision ever”.

Both of them seem perfectly content at the club.

And the Sun admits as much, tucked away in the final two paragraphs of its own story.

That’s the bit that really gets me.

The man doing the tipping is a former player being asked for a quote by a casino blog.

So let’s have a look at what Shea actually said, because it’s a belter.

The Sun tells us it comes from an interview with Jackpot City Casino.

Here is the quote that has been splashed across their website:

“I’m a fan of Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers and I want all our players playing at big clubs and having success.”

“I mean those guys they’ve featured in almost every game, right? And I want them to be playing and if they’re playing every day, that helps us at the end of the day.”

“And I know they could still make another move, hopefully to England.”

“I mean Cameron Carter-Vickers came through Tottenham, and he is definitely comfortable over there.”

“And then Trusty, he’s a very athletic player and has done well with the national team. So, I don’t see why not.”

Read that back slowly.

“I don’t see why not.”

That’s it.

That is the evidence.

A man who is a fan of two players, and who hopes they end up playing for bigger clubs, because it would be good for the national team.

There’s no inside knowledge in there, no hint of a conversation, and not a shred of anything that tells us either of them wants to go.

It’s a bloke saying he’d like to see his countrymen do well.

And somehow that becomes a headline and a full article in a national newspaper.

So why even bother running it?

I think we all know the answer to that one.

Because it’s a slow news day, and the Celtic name sells.

Slap “tipped to quit Celtic” on the top of anything and you’ll get the clicks.

Is it any wonder the SMSM is held in such low regard by the support?

Never mind that the headline says one thing and the final paragraphs of the story say the exact opposite.

The headline is what gets shared.

The headline is what gets people into the comments.

And the headline is what starts the whole merry-go-round of speculation that does the rounds every time a Celtic player does well.

Because that’s the other thing about this.

CCV and Trusty are doing well.

Very well, in fact.

And the minute that happens, the Scottish media machine starts looking for ways to move them on.

Then again, I’ll grant them this much.

If either player did get a big offer from England in the future, I wouldn’t be shocked, and I wouldn’t blame them.

Nobody stays at a club forever.

And let’s be honest, if a big fee ever landed on the table, I doubt the board would lose much sleep over it.

Make no mistake, that’s when the real story would begin.

But that’s a story for the day it happens, not for the day a former player says “why not?” to a casino blog.

Until then, there is nothing to write about.

Both players are Celtic players, both are contracted for years, and both appear happy.

If that’s not a story, it’s because it’s not supposed to be one.

Maybe the Sun should try reporting that.

Nuff said.

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