It has always been evident that Celtic would go on to lose Dedryck Boyata by next year, but some optimistic Celtic faithful might be keeping their fingers crossed and hoping for a miracle. However, latest comments from Brendan Rodgers suggest that he has also resigned to the fact that he is set to lose out on arguably the best defender in the league.
The saga in the summer harmed the defender’s reputation, but almost six months into the season now, it’s fair to say that the big Belgian has made amends. He has put in some strong performances at the back which ensured yet another trophy for the club this Sunday as they wrapped up the League Cup.
Rodgers suggested that he isn’t thinking too much about Boyata’s situation and said (Via The Scottish Sun),”Boyata is in the last year of his deal, but I am quite relaxed on it. He has to look at every option possible. He has created a market for himself now because of how he has performed, which is great for him.
”Careers are short. There has been no lack of commitment from Boyata since last summer as you have seen. But as a professional player, he has every right to wait and see what happens. I am relaxed with it because there has been no drop off in mentality. There has never been with him. He has been absolutely first class for me. We will just assess the situation as time goes on.”
There was a significant doubt whether the defender would put in his hundred per cent after the summer saga where he reportedly (The Times) refused to play for the Hoops even though he was fit for the Champions League qualifiers. The fans turned against him, and it looked like he was gone for all money in the summer. But Celtic resisted advances from other clubs and held on to him.
Since then, as Rodgers suggested, there has been a full commitment from the defender, and even in the weekend’s League Cup final, the 27-year-old took a tough blow to the head but still carried on after the treatment. That shows what a wonderful professional Boyata has been even though it is clear that he doesn’t have a future at Celtic Park.
For Rodgers, January is the time to look for his replacement, and it would also be interesting to see whether the defender would depart in January or for free at the end of the season. The centre-back has an option to sign a pre-contract in the winter window. We believe the club should look to sell him if a decent offer is on the table, especially now that Filip Benkovic is likely (Daily Record) to stay until the end of the season.
