Chris Sutton has raised fresh doubts over Celtic’s plans at left-back, saying Marcelo Saracchi may be the better footballer than Kieran Tierney but warning the club to think hard before turning the loan into a permanent move from Boca Juniors.
The remarks have put Saracchi back in focus because Celtic are believed to be weighing up whether to keep him beyond last season, when the 28-year-old played second fiddle to Tierney but still forced his way into the picture. Fans saw enough in him to be impressed, particularly in Celtic’s final-day title-deciding win over Hearts, and that has helped make his future a live issue rather than a routine squad decision.
Sutton’s view was blunt. On the Warm-Up, he said Saracchi is “probably a better footballer than Kieran Tierney” and added that when the Uruguayan moves into an inverted role, he shows “better awareness of what’s around” him. But he also drew a clear line, saying Saracchi is “not as good of a 1v1 defender as Tierney” and that he is “a decent footballer, but I’m not so sure he has the legs.”
That split is exactly why Celtic’s decision is not straightforward. Saracchi did enough last season to catch the eye, and not many of the club’s other loan players made anything like the same case for themselves. Tomas Cvancara, Joel Mvuka and Junior Adamu did not show the level required, leaving the two full-backs on loan, Saracchi and Julian Araujo, as the most relevant cases as Celtic look at what to keep and what to move on.
The appeal of Saracchi is obvious: he offers a cleaner touch and, in Sutton’s view, a sharper footballing brain than Tierney in certain moments. The risk is equally clear. Celtic are not just deciding whether he can play; they are deciding whether he can hold up as a permanent option in a position that demands recovery runs, duels and repeat effort over a full season.
For now, there is no confirmation that Celtic will make that leap. What happens next is the part that matters most: if the club decide Saracchi is worth keeping, they will be backing Sutton’s footballing assessment while ignoring his warning about the physical demands. If they do not, the impression he made against Hearts may end up being remembered as the reason the conversation started in the first place.
