Paul John Dykes has recently talked about Patryk Klimala and how the Polish striker has proved the pundit wrong.
Dykes was hosting the latest episode of the ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ podcast and the panel discussed multiple issues involving the Parkhead-based side. One player that they talked about was Klimala. Dykes said that while he initially thought that the striker wasn’t good enough for Celtic, the Pole has proved him wrong with his performances.
Klimala had joined Celtic from Jagiellonia Bialystok in January 2020 for a fee of £3.6 million. In the 2019/20 season though, he made only four appearances in all competitions for Celtic and racked up a single assist (as per Transfermarkt).
Dykes made it clear that Klimala has proved him wrong with his performances this season. He said: “He’s a guy that – you said no one should be above criticism – I criticised Klimala at the beginning of the season. I didn’t think he had what it took to play for Celtic. I think he’s proved me wrong. I think he’s proving me wrong.
Has Klimala proved you wrong?
Yes
No
“So I was having a wee look at Klimala because obviously, he’s a guy that will definitely be in line for a start [against Rangers] – whether or not Neil Lennon picks him is another question. He just turned 22 in August, so he’s the same age as Edouard. Even for Poland Under-21s, three goals in nine – so [he is] prolific for his international team.”
TIF Thoughts…
Klimala has made some sort of impact for the Bhoys this season. In nine Premiership appearances, he has scored three goals. His most recent goal came in the club’s 2-0 win over St. Johnstone. He had also scored in the club’s first game of the season against Hamilton (as per Transfermarkt).
Overall, Klimala has played in every league game for Celtic this season, though he has not completed a full 90 minutes in any of the games.
Despite this, though, it could be argued that Klimala getting increased game time could be a sign that Neil Lennon is beginning to trust the 22-year-old, and it will be intriguing to see how he develops this season.