Although it took months to appoint Ange Postecoglou as Neil Lennon’s successor, the Hoops are speeding up summer reinforcements to kickstart the transition. According to both The Herald and Le Parisien, Celtic are in advanced talks to rope in Sacha Boey who has entered the final year of his Rennes contract.
While the Bhoys have already been linked to Boey’s teammate Brandon Soppy, the 20-year-old is a more realistic and achievable target. He spent the previous campaign out on loan at Dijon, a side that finished rock-bottom in the Ligue 1 standings.
The Frenchman was regular as a right-back but might find a place way down the pecking order at Rennes behind Hamari Traoré, Soppy and Lorenz Assignon.
The youngster has progressed through the academy ranks of the Red and Blacks before breaking into their senior side a couple of years ago. However, his minutes were limited at Roazhon Park and the move to Dijon helped him attain gametime week in, week out. Celtic must have scouted him extensively in recent months and the £1m bid depicts their interest in the promising fullback.
Why Celtic Must Get A Deal Done For Sacha Boey
The Hoops decided not to tie down Jonjoe Kenny on permanent terms following an underwhelming loan stint from Everton. The 24-year-old was snapped up as Jeremie Frimpong’s successor soon after the latter plied his trade to Bayer Leverkusen in a big-money switch. Hatem Abd Elhamed could not settle in either and the Glasgow giants are now left with Anthony Ralston only. The youngster has not done much either to secure a first-team status.
Although the young academy graduate is having an impressive pre-season, the gaffer should opt for depth as well as quality all over the pitch. An array of new names are expected to join in the coming days, whereas Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide are still settling down since parting ways with Sheffield Wednesday. The young pair are flexible enough to slot in as a makeshift, but the Bhoys must make the most of the availability of Boey in such a cut-price deal.
Boey possesses a number of traits that is essential in a modern-day fullback. He loves to dribble, make overlapping runs, whip in crosses and recover the ground behind with tackles, tactical fouls and interceptions. His passing game is not up to the mark so far, but the Rennes star ticks many boxes to stake a claim in Postecoglou’s plan.
