OPINION
With Dedryck Boyata seeking a move away from Celtic, is the Belgian defender really a huge necessity for the Bhoys this season?
Boyata was in fine form for Belgium in helping them achieve third place at this summer’s World Cup, the country’s best ever finish at the tournament, attracting attention from a number of high-profile clubs.
However, the 27-year-old international is angry that the Hoops have failed to sell him during the transfer window, according to TalkSport, and has not travelled to Greece for Celtic’s crucial Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens.
Boyata was linked with a move to Fulham along with interest from numerous European clubs but Celtic will not let their senior centre-back leave Parkhead, which has left both Boyata and his agent, Jacques Lichtenstein, deeply frustrated.
The Belgian has treated the club with a lack of respect, joining the club after failing to make an impact in Manchester City’s dominating squad and has managed to get into the Belgium national squad based on his performances at the Scottish club.
It has to be noted that those performances were in the group stages against World Cup minnows Panama and Tunisia before facing an England side with rested stars.
Celtic suffered an untimely league defeat with Hearts before heading to Athens for their vital European clash on Tuesday but the Hoops should not be too concerned about missing Boyata as he has shown in previous matches that he can be a liability and times and gift strikers with goalscoring opportunities.
Centre-backs such as Jack Hendry and Kristoffer Ajer are more than capable of filling in the role that Boyata will leave at the back and, despite the pair’s lack of first-team experience, can develop with regular minutes under the belt and be strong enough to help Celtic in the quest for more major trophies this season.
Indeed, it could be argued Hendry and Ajer are more solid that the error-prone Boyata.
If Boyata is desperate to leave, the best option is to offload him for a profit and then go in search for a suitable replacement.