Greg Taylor is well into his first season away from Celtic, having made the switch to Greece.
The defender decided not to extend his contract at Celtic Park, despite Brendan Rodgers’ public efforts to keep him. Instead, he saw out his deal before heading abroad.
Kieran Tierney’s arrival helped explain the timing of Taylor’s departure. Still, as one of Celtic’s most regular starters, his absence was always going to be felt in some way.
During his six years at the club, Taylor made over 200 appearances and picked up 11 trophies along the way. His most memorable period came under Ange Postecoglou.
Greg Taylor on former Celtic teammate Giorgos Giakoumakis
Jonjoe Kenny, who spent a loan spell at Celtic, also joined the Greek side last summer after his time in Germany with Schalke and Hertha Berlin.
PAOK also signed Giorgos Giakoumakis, a striker who was popular during his time at Celtic. He is currently on loan from Cruz Azul in Mexico.
Giakoumakis also played under Postecoglou at Celtic and has now returned to Greece. Taylor mentioned how he played a part in helping PAOK sign the forward, having been asked by club officials for his opinion.
Taylor told Open Goal: “It’s real Bobby Basic, isn’t it? Good morning, goodnights, hellos…
“We’re lucky because the majority speak English unless you get a dodgy one at the petrol station.”
“Jonjoe signed a week before me and then big Giako signed about a month after,” he continued.
“I spoke to him and the sporting director was like: ‘What do you think of big Giako?’ I was like: ‘If you can get him, that’s a no-brainer.’”
How Greg Taylor is finding life at PAOK since leaving Celtic
He hasn’t featured as much as he might have hoped, but the defender has still managed to make 16 appearances for a team that’s active both domestically and in the Europa League.
In Italy, Nicolas Kuhn has struggled to break into the starting lineup at Como, making just five league starts and scoring once so far this season.
On the other hand, Alex Valle is enjoying his time under Cesc Fabregas at Como. His form has even led some to suggest he could earn a return to Barcelona in the future.
Adam Idah hasn’t seen much playing time at Swansea either, though that’s largely due to Zan Vipotnik’s impressive run as the Championship’s leading scorer.
Sadio Mane heads up an Al Nassr squad that features stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Aymeric Laporte. However, Frimpong isn’t alone among former Hoops teammates; others such as Odsonne Edouard (Al-Ittihad) and Giorgos Giakoumakis (PAOK) have also made significant moves since their Celtic days.
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