Back in January, one of the major stories, as we trickled into the end of the transfer window, was that Celtic were watching Martin Boyle.
According to the Scottish Sun, Celtic’s head of football operations Nick Hammond went to see Boyle in action at Easter Road.
The Sun then reported that Hibernian were looking for as much as £3m for their Australian international. There was also a mixed reaction from some in the Celtic support to the news too.
Yet, in the end, nothing came of it as the window closed and Celtic chose not to sign a right-winger. It didn’t surprise many that the deal didn’t go through, and it’s clear now that the Hoops made the right decision.
Boyle remains one of Hibs’ most relied upon attacking outlets. However, that doesn’t mean he’s better than what we currently have or anywhere near as close to that level of quality either.
Post-winter break form hasn’t done him any favours
His stats since the resumption of domestic action since the winter break doesn’t make for great reading. Hibernian have played 13 games in all competitions since then and he has only netted one goal. That came back in the 2-2 draw with Dundee United in the Scottish Cup at Tannadice. Boyle has yet to net since and still hasn’t scored in the league since his brace at Tynecastle back in December (Soccerbase).
It’s not as if he’s been on fire with his assists either. As a right-winger, Boyle’s main responsibility is to provide for the front-men. However, he’s only managed three assists against Premiership sides since the winter break ended (Transfermarkt). It’s not down to a lack of game-time either – Boyle has played 90 minutes in every league game since the league resumed.
He remains a tricky player and still provides plenty of energy to Hibs’ attacks. However, his numbers don’t back up the idea of him being worth £3m. The fact that James Forrest has managed double that and still gets criticised shows the level Boyle needs to get to (Transfermarkt).
Celtic and Hibs could meet three more times between now and the end of the season. Therefore, Boyle still has a chance to make an impact against us. It could be the case that the two sides meet in the Scottish Cup final.
But at this moment in time, Boyle isn’t producing the kind of figures that suggests we should’ve moved for him in January.
Would you go back in for Boyle this summer? Do you agree that we made the right decision in not moving for him? Give us your verdict via the discussion forum below.
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