Celtic had a nightmare on Dedryck Boyata | OneFootball

When Celtic signed Dedryck Boyata for a fee of £1.5m back in the summer of 2015, it very much appeared as if the Bhoys had secured something of a bargain.

Indeed, the centre-back had made 35 appearances for Premier League giants Manchester City after graduating from the Citizens’ academy, had been capped at international level by Belgium and was described by the former Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle – under whom Boyata spent a season on loan – as a “wonderful young talent.”

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Coyle’s belief turned out to be accurate, as the now 30-year-old highly impressed during his four-season spell at Parkhead, making a total of 135 appearances for the Bhoys, scoring 15 goals and registering nine assists, as well as winning four consecutive Scottish Premiership titles and six domestic cup competitions with the Hoops.

However, after reportedly falling out with then Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers at the start of his final year while contracted with Celtic, and despite Neil Lennon’s hopes that the centre-back would pen a new deal, Boyata ran down his contract in Glasgow, joining Hertha Berlin on a free transfer in the summer of 2019.

Since his move to Germany, Boyata has further enhanced his reputation as a top-level defender, so far making 54 appearances for the Bundesliga side, being made club captain and seeing his Transfermarkt value rocket from £1.8m at the time of leaving Celtic to £7.2m today.

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As such, Celtic’s decision to allow Boyata to enter the final year of his contract at Parkhead without tying down the £42k-per-week man to fresh terms appears to have been rather costly for the club. As, should the Bhoys have indeed convinced the centre-back to stay on in Glasgow, they would more than likely have received a significant transfer fee for his services – such as the £9m Fulham offered for him back in 2018.

immense” talent for absolutely nothing two years ago.