OPINION
The signing of defender Joel Matip from Liverpool would be an inspired one for Celtic, especially with the centre-back crisis that could arise in the next few months.
Filip Benkovic’s loan spell is set to expire in the summer where upon he will return to Leicester, and if Dedryck Boyata ends up departing the Hoops just like Chris Sutton previously predicted, Brendan Rodgers will be painfully thin on the centre-back front – a scenario which he is no doubt trying to avoid.
Liverpool’s Matip could be the answer, particularly if Boyata does end up leaving the club.
The 27-year-old has not featured heavily in Jurgen Klopp’s plans this season due to his favoured central defensive partnership of Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez, and it is unlikely that he is going to make a breakthrough any time soon.
The likelihood of him usurping either player for a spot is very slim, which means his first team opportunities are going to be increasingly limited over the course of the season bar any injuries – however, it does not help that Dejan Lovren is also ahead of him in the pecking order.
Matip would no doubt be open-minded about a move away from Anfield if it meant he was guaranteed minutes under his belt – and Celtic is just the club to provide that, especially if Sutton is right in his prediction.
The 6ft 5in [Transfermarkt] colossus has 60 appearances in the Premier League to his name and was once a regular in the Reds’ team until he got injured.
This season he had six outings under Klopp, but the majority of them have come from the bench – and if Klopp continues to dismiss him a place in the first team, his future in England will not look so rosy.
Sutton wrote in his Daily Record column that Boyata would leave next year if the right offer came along for his services, which means the Hoops will be in search of more centre-backs – and the fans will definitely be drooling at the prospect of having a player like Matip amongst the ranks.