Dedryck Boyata created quite a ruckus last year at the beginning of the season as he made himself unavailable for selection during the Champions League qualifiers. That move didn’t go down well with the fans, but Brendan Rodgers was able to turn the corner and got the Belgian back on the pitch.
There have been occasions when Boyata’s performance has been disappointing, but the world cup semi-finalist has mostly done well, especially after the backlash he received in August. It has more or less been accepted that the Hoops will lose him in the summer. However, Neil Lennon recently gave an update that came as a surprise to us.
What did Lennon say?
Reports (Daily Star) had recently emerged that Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin had signed him on a new deal. However, Lennon was quick to rebuff those claims and said, ”I’m not aware of that (agreement with Hertha), Dedryck was at the game today. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is interest in him, but we are still hopeful that we can persuade him to stay, which would be great for everyone.”
What now for Celtic?
It’s clear that Lennon and Celtic are still trying to persuade the defender to stay beyond this season. It remains to be seen what would transpire in the next few months. This is definitely a positive piece of news for the club as once it was assumed that Boyata’s situation was a lost cause.
What would hurt Celtic the most is the fact that they will lose him on a free transfer in the summer if they don’t manage to get him on a new contract. The Bhoys had reportedly received an offer of £9m from English club Fulham in the summer of 2018, but that was turned down. Boyata’s value was also at its peak at that moment after his successful and impressive World Cup campaign with Belgium.
It is still likely that the defender would depart from Parkhead in the summer. Celtic are also expected to lose Filip Benkovic who is just on a loan deal. Therefore we expect the Hoops to go after a defender or two in the summer. Boyata’s final season might have been slightly underwhelming, but he has served Celtic well over the years and has played a massive part in the heart of the defence.
Making himself unavailable during a crucial game for Celtic was definitely a low blow from the player, and it is understandable why some Celtic fans wouldn’t mind seeing him depart from the club in the summer.
