We’ve been linked with ex-loanee Filip Benkovic quite frequently over the last fortnight – but despite Brendan Rodgers’ hints at a permanent move for the Croat centre-half, and Sky Sports’ attempts to push the story through,it appears that Neil Lennon’s men are more than likely going to miss out on re-signing the one they call ‘Benko’
As reported by The Glasgow Times last Thursday, Rodgers opened the door for a return to Paradise for Benkovic as it was clear he wasn’t in his plans at the King Power Stadium following a failed stint at Cardiff City in the first-half of this COVID-ravaged season.
Sky’s admission of the situation was clear too, with Anthony Joseph reporting that Celtic were in talks to sign the ex-loanee who played 27 games under Rodgers in 2018-19 – with the big man scoring two goals in process.
However, things can change very quickly in football and that appears to be the case here, as the Daily Mail’s Simon Jones reports that Benko has decided to join Belgian outfit OH Leuven on loan for the rest of the season in a shock u-turn following uncertainty on Neil Lennon’s behalf.
Leuven, who boast Premier League champion and theRangers failed loanee Andrew King in their ranks, spent time at Leicester with Benkovic from 2018 to 20120 in and will help him settle in.
It is a rather obscene decision from Celtic to dither upon signing a player who is proven to be good enough for this league. With Christopher Jullien picking up a four month injury, Shane Duffy struggling in his time at Paradise and reported Celtic target Mark McKenzie moving to Genk on Thursday, it leaves only Kristoffer Ajer as the only reliable centre-back choice for the rest of the season; something which Celtic simply cannot afford to occur.
Lennon’s reasoning may well be that Benkovic is short of match fitness; the Croat has only played one game at Cardiff since his loan started in October 2020, and this lack of match fitness may be detrimental to Lennon’s plans. However, with the lack of options he has, Benko is simply too good an option to turn down. Let’s hope that common sense prevails over the coming days.
