There were some high-profile exits from Celtic during the January transfer window, perhaps most notably David Turnbull's move to Championship side Cardiff City. Elsewhere, Yosuke Ideguchi sealed a permanent return to Japan with Vissel Kobe, while Mikey Johnston joined Turnbull in the English second tier at West Brom (on loan).
One player who stayed at Parkhead, however, was James Forrest, despite receiving offers from six different Championships clubs on the final day of the transfer window. The matter isn't closed yet, though, with "several" Major League Soccer franchises eyeing up an out-of-window move. That interest remains "active" as numerous suitors keep "close tabs" on his situation in Glasgow.
McAvennie expects "huge" Forrest to stay
Speaking to Football Insider, former Celtic player Frank McAvennie expressed confidence that Forrest would decide to stay with the Hoops, and continue to play a key role as a substitute for Brendan Rodgers as they chase Scottish Premiership glory.
"I don’t think Forrest would want to leave Celtic. He’s been at Celtic for a long time and he’s been on decent money for a long time – I think he’s settled. He’s financially secure and it’s his testimonial year so I can’t see him going.
“He can still do a job for Celtic coming on from the bench and he’s the kind of player you want at your disposal, which is huge for Brendan. You have to offload players but I think you know what you get with James.
“I think he will finish his career at Celtic. If he was to leave, it would be with everyone’s blessing. I’ve not always agreed with the way he plays football, but he’s been an excellent servant to the club."
Celtic icon Forrest can still produce big moments
There's no disputing Forrest's status as a Celtic legend. He's played a whopping 483 games for the club after graduating from their academy, more than any player who's still active in the game. Within that group, only Leigh Griffiths (123) has scored more than his 104, and he's also the only one to surpass a century of assists (101).
Rank
Player
Current club
Apps
1
James Forrest
Celtic
483
2
Callum McGregor
Celtic
452
3
Nir Bitton
Maccabi Tel Aviv
271
4
Leigh Griffiths
Mandurah City
261
5
Craig Gordon
Hearts
261
When he does eventually retire, the 32-year-old will do so with a giant trophy cabinet, having won 11 Scottish titles, seven Scottish Cups and seven Scottish League Cups during his career. At the individual level, he was named the country's player of the year in 2018/19 after helping his side win a treble treble.
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This season, he's had to be content with more of a back-up role, starting just two league games. He's come off the bench 13 times, second only to Oh Hyeon-gyu (16) in the Celtic squad, but did make his mark by finding the net in the away wins over Ross County and St Johnstone late last year. He could still produce one or two key moments before the season is out, and he remains under contract for another 18 months yet.