Brendan Rodgers has appeared to drop a massive transfer hint that will be music to the ears of many Celtic fans.
While he achieved incredible things as a manager at Celtic, the manner in which he left the club in the middle of the season in order to take over at Leicester City left behind a bitter feeling. And while Brendan Rodgers will never be celebrated at Parkhead, his latest comments will be music to the ears of many supporters.
Filip Benkovic spent a season on loan at Celtic and although injury might have marred his time here, he did show incredible potential when on the pitch. Overall, he made 27 appearances for the Hoops and became a fan favourite.
His career has gone downhill since then though. He does not appear to be Rodgers’ plans at all and his loan spell at Cardiff City was also cut short after he had only made one appearance for them till now.
Now, the Premier League side are believed to be looking for another loan club for him and Parkhead has emerged as the most probable decision. And Rodgers’ comments appear to suggest that that is where he could be headed. As reported by The Scottish Sun, he said:
"“It’s certainly a possibility. It’s a huge club and he did very well there. We haven’t had any contact but he’s back now and we will see what happens.“Celtic would be a great move for him. He’s at the age where he really needs to be playing and that didn’t quite materialise at Cardiff.“I would never blame another manager for not playing someone because circumstances can change all the time but unfortunately it didn’t work out.“It’s quite simple really, it’s now a case of finding somewhere where he can go next and get some game time.”"
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It is not hard to understand why the Hoops would want to bring back Benkovic. He did impress in his time at the club and has already proven that he can perform in Scottish football. Which is harder than most make it sound, just ask Shane Duffy.
With Christopher Jullien out for three to four months and Duffy struggling badly, Celtic are in desperate need of another centre-back. And Benkovic could end up filling that void at least till the end of the season if he joins on loan.
Of course, if that spell goes well then the two clubs could try to agree on a permanent deal as well. But that is a bridge that we will cross when we come to it. For now, it will be a smart move to get a loan deal for Benkovic over the line.
Still just 23 years of age and without proper first-team football in a couple of years, the Croatian will be hungry to prove himself. And hunger is something that a lot of these Celtic players appear to be lacking at the moment.