Earlier this week, it was announced that Kris Boyd had terminated his contract with Turkish club Eskisehirspor. Apparently Boyd was able to trigger a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave if his wages were delayed, and he has launched legal proceedings against the club, claiming that he has not been paid at all since receiving a signing bonus when he joined the club in July.
To say that things went badly for Boyd in Turkey would be somewhat of an understatement. He signed for the club on July 8th, but less than two weeks later, Eskisehirspor fired their manager. Under German Michael Skibbe, Boyd played just 76 minutes of football in Turkey.
Boyd’s future now appears to be up in the air. After helping Rangers to win the 2009/10 SPL title, he let his contract expire and joined Gordon Strachan at Middlesborough. Middlesborough expected Strachan to lead them back to the Premier League, and Boyd was one of a number of players that Strachan brought to the club from Scottish football. But things didn’t go to plan, and Strachan was replaced by Tony Mowbray in October 2010. Boyd had not enjoyed a good start to his Middlesborough career, scoring just three goals during Strachan’s time in charge. He scored the same number under Mowbray, but was loaned to Nottingham Forest in March. He had a more prolific spell for Billy Davies’ side, scoring 6 goals in 10 appearances, but failed to find the target when Forest lost to Swansea in the playoffs.
After the season ended, Davies was sacked by Forest, and he returned to Middlesborough. But Tony Mowbray had already made it clear that Boyd was too expensive (he was believed to have signed a deal worth £28,000 a week when he left Rangers) and that Boro would attempt to move him on. Whether or not any other Championship clubs considered signing Boyd remains a mystery, but a rumoured £40,000 a week salary from Eskisehirspor persuaded Boyd to try Turkish football. His family remained in Scotland, and he was often seen in and around Glasgow during the last 6 months.
Talking of Glasgow, Boyd has of course been linked with a return to Rangers. Ally McCoist has said that he won’t rule anyone out, as the club needs more striking options, and former manager Walter Smith also suggested Rangers would take a look at re-signing him. Even Celtic manager Neil Lennon has claimed that he could possibly be interested, although Kris Boyd signing for Celtic seems rather far-fetched. That said, it is only Rangers and Celtic that would be options for Boyd in Scotland, as he would have to take a drastically reduced wage to sign for any other SPL club.
So a return to English football seems more likely, despite his relatively unsuccessful spell there last season. One possible destination for him could be Cardiff City. Cardiff have already signed a former Rangers player who had an unhappy spell in Turkey, after signing Kenny Miller in the summer. Boyd and Miller formed a prolific partnership in the SPL, and Kris Boyd is definitely a striker that needs a partner who will do the hard work.
The biggest criticism of Kris Boyd is how hard he works during games. If he doesn’t score, he has a tendency to be anonymous, relying on his team-mates to create chances for him, rather than create them for himself or others. That will have to change if he is going to resurrect his career. Since leaving Rangers in the summer of 2010, he’s scored just 12 goals and played for three different clubs. If he wants to join a club for the long-term, he’ll have to show the right attitude on the training pitch, as well as on the park. Kris Boyd is still the SPL’s all-time leading goal-scorer, and at 28, he can still play for another 5 or 6 years. But his next move will be a crucial one, and could make or break his career.
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