Celtic

Celtic: Jonny Hayes to be handed new deal despite Burnley and Cardiff interest

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Image for Celtic: Jonny Hayes to be handed new deal despite Burnley and Cardiff interest

Celtic star Jonny Hayes is being handed a new deal by the club despite interest from sides like Cardiff City and Premier League club Burnley, as per TEAMTalk.

The report claims that Hayes has attracted interest from Burnley, Huddersfield Town and Stoke City only recently, but Cardiff have been long-term admirers of the 32-year-old and have been impressed by his performances in recent weeks.

They also claim that Neil Lennon is keen on offering a new deal to Hayes, whose contract at Celtic Park runs out in the summer of 2020. All the interested clubs and looking to make pre-contract offers for Hayes in the upcoming January transfer window.


The faithful veteran

Celtic had signed Hayes from Aberdeen in the summer of 2017 for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal. This deal saw Ryan Christie head to the other way and join Aberdeen on a loan deal from Celtic.

This season, Hayes has played 16 times in all competitions under Lennon so far. He has scored twice and has assisted just as many times too. Apart from having played as the left midfielder usually, Hayes has also done a job for the club in the left-back position.

Last season, he had played 22 times in all competitions for the club. He couldn’t score, but he did rack up three assists on the way. Even last season, Hayes was often used as a left-back apart from his usual position of a wide midfielder.

For Aberdeen, Hayes has played 207 games in total in all competitions. He had assisted as many as 70 times and had a tally of 30 goals.

TIF Tactics

Hayes has done a sound job for Celtic in his stay so far. All that, despite having missed 28 games to injury since he joined from Aberdeen. The versatile man suffered a tibia fracture in the 2017-18 season.

He is the club’s second-choice left-back currently, with Greg Taylor still rising up the pecking order since joining in the summer. But Hayes is a regular in the wing positions and his importance can be defined by his performance against Rangers. He played only six minutes of the Old Firm derby, but got an assist despite all that and helped the Bhoys to a 2-0 win.

It shows that there is still a player in there at the age of 32. And Lennon sees a player who can give his all for the manager and work his socks off. There is still a spot in the first-team for him and that’s why he is being handed a new deal.

For the potential suitors, Hayes would provide a high workrate and versatility that possibly very few players can offer. They have to fancy their chances and make a pre-contract offer in January.

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European Football Writer. Contributed for FootballItalia, Manchester United, Manchester Evening News, Calciomercato, GFFN and more.