With Filip Benkovic now looking more likely to be heading to Belgium rather than Scotland, Celtic need to look elsewhere for defensive cover. Rumours of a loan recruit from the English Premier League are resurfacing.
With Christopher Jullien injured and out for some time the need for cover at centre half is again evident. Celtic need options to cover Shane Duffy’s uncertain form as well as the Jullien gap.
There are options in Nir Bitton, Stephen Welsh and Hatem Abd Elhamed, but these aren’t ideal and signing a centre-back, probably as a loan player, will make sense for the rest of this season.
There is ironically a twist involving Celtic, Belgium and the Premier League. It’s not about Benkovic now likely heading there to play but does involve a loan player. Jack Hendry has turned in good performances at KV Oostende and is apparently now attracting the interest of up to three English Premier League clubs.
Even if he has turned his game round it would seem unlikely he’d return to Parkhead to fill the void. Stop gap emergency cover at best would be his probable place at the Hoops. If a sale can be arranged, both the club and Hendry are going to be keen. Especially if it’s to an Premier club given the kind of money that will involve. It might even fund a quality loan inwards for a while.
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With Benkovic now an unlikely move, the rumours have started to pick up again about Phil Jones. Talk in December was of his lack of game time and opportunities at Manchester United and of Neil Lennon being interested. With the Hoops players needing to show full commitment and strength in a challenging period there was concern that Jones may not be sending the right signals and was probably going to stay at Old Trafford.
Wages will always be an issue when looking to take Premier League players in on loan. Celtic can’t match the astronomical salaries paid down there as sources such as Spotrac indicate Jones could be earning £75,000 per week. But deals have been struck in the past, ways of covering wages in part meaning it shouldn’t be ruled out for that alone.
How popular would the move be amongst Celtic fans, wary after Shane Duffy’s struggles to hit the right levels? Well, not getting a game for United is quite different to being out of the Brighton and Hove Albion team.
Even then, it does not look like he’ll be very popular in these parts:
Heard a few say we are looking at Phil Jones but I will be completely honest on that one. I would rather we was looking at Tom Jones.
— celtic jaime 🍀 (@jaimelawson08) January 9, 2021
Folk freaking out at the mention of Christophe Berra to Celtic!
— Gaz88🍀 (@the_gaz88) January 8, 2020
Wait to they hear the Phil Jones rumours...... 🤯
🙈
While not impossible, it feels more like conjecture and rumour than fact. But then, we saw Celtic sources confirm the ‘fact’ of approaching Benkovic around the same time as news of his more likely move to OH Leuven was being shared. The usual maxim of until a deal is done it’s all speculation will continue to apply.