Former Celtic defender Alan Stubbs reckons Hibs winger Martin Boyle style of play would perfectly suit Ange Postecoglou’s philosophy at Celtic. Rumours are yet again spreading regarding Celtic making a bid for the Australian attacker during the current transfer window, after similar talk surfaced during the summer.
Former Hibs manager, and the man who originally brought Boyle to Easter Road in 2015, wouldn’t like to see him leave his old club but nevertheless thinks it would be a good move for the 28 year old.
Stubbs told The Herald: “First of all, I wouldn’t want to see Hibs lose him, but if he is going to go then I think Celtic would be a good fit for him. If you consider the way that Ange wants to play, he wants to play on the front foot and Martin does that really well in terms of closing the opposition down high up the pitch.
“Then, obviously, from a counter-attacking point of view he fits into that because he’s so quick. I think he could handle the expectation at Celtic. With every player, you have to adjust to the expectations of that fan base. The ones who are the successes are the ones who manage to do that.”
In my opinion Stubbs is correct to say that he would be a perfect fit in this current Celtic team. As he commented, Boyle puts a shift in everytime he’s on the pitch and gets involved in attack without neglecting the less glamorous side of the game and is always willing to track back or close players down to try and win the ball.
It’s positive to hear someone like Stubbs, who previously managed him while at Hibs, say that he thinks he would handle the expectations placed upon him by the Celtic fans. This is always a worry when signing someone from a team like Hibs who have relatively low expectations in comparison. Players making the move must have the mental strength to handle all that comes with being a Celtic player.
When asked if he was surprised by how well he has done since signing for Hibs, Stubbs answered: “I haven’t been surprised really. If you ask any defender the one thing that they are scared of, then it is pace. I think the fact he had an abundance of it, at times he just needed to understand how quick he was, and then how he could mould that pace into his game.
“Sometimes, he would try to do everything too quick, and then he would either overrun the ball at the last minute or he was still carrying his pace into his crosses, and his success from that wasn’t what it should have been. I think what you find with a lot of people who are very pacy, they then need to understand how to slow down, or how to speed up on impact. You’ll see lots of quick wingers and they will knock it past a fullback, and for them that’s the easy bit. The hard bit then is crossing the ball.
“That’s what he had to understand. A lot of people with that much pace, they just open the gates and keep running. What Martin has done very well, not just in terms of his assists but his goals too, is add that composure to his game. Even in front of goal, he looks a lot more composed and assured, and the same in wide areas.
“When you look now at someone that is playing at the top of his game, you can see why Celtic are interested in him.”
With 16 goals this season already, including a hat-trick against theRangers in the Premier Sports League Cup semi-final at Hampden, Boyle has certainly proved his worth in an underwhelming Hibs team this year. I imagine if he stays with Hibs we could see him improve even further under a progressive coach such as Shaun Maloney, so now may be a good time for Celtic to strike before his transfer fee increases once more.
I like many other Celtic fans rate Boyle highly and i think he would definitely provide competition for places within our squad. With James Forrest unfortunately hampered by injuries this season and Liel Abada still developing, Boyle would definitely be capable of competing for a starting spot regularly.
He’s probably one of a very small list of players currently plying their trade in Scotland capable of stepping up to play for Celtic. The thought of signing Boyle certainly gets me more excited than the likes of other rumours such as Zinedine Ferhat or Hannes Wolf so I’m hoping for some good news regarding the Australian before the end of the month.
Conall McGinty
Martin Boyle would be an excellent signing for @CelticFC his style of play, pace and energy would be ideal for this squad. I know we have to offload a few but I hope this is a deal we can get done. HH pic.twitter.com/GmGqGDQoeC
— Celtic Gossip (@CelticGossip) January 7, 2022
