Sky Sports pundit Davie Provan believes that Celtic defender Boli Bolingoli will have been eyeing a move from Parkhead for some time.
The left-back has been linked with a move away from the club after his disgraceful breaching of government protocol regarding the health pandemic.
Sky Sports reported earlier this week that Amiens were interested in a loan deal with an option to buy, but the Daily Record has since claimed that they have moved on to Liverpool left-back Adam Lewis.
Boli was only on the fringes of the Celtic first team in any case.
Since January, the Belgian has failed to start a single league or European match. His only start in the last eight months came away to Clyde in the Scottish Cup (Transfemarkt), albeit season 2019/20 was cancelled back in mid-March.
Provan reckons that his lack of game-time at Parkhead would’ve had Boli looking for a move elsewhere for a while, and that his agent will be thriving in the current saga.
As quoted by the Scottish Sun, the former Celtic man said: “First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave players a caning after Bolingoli joined the Aberdeen Eight in the dock. Is this the First Minister who tried to save her chief medical officer for breaking the same rules?
“This is not to excuse Bolingoli who covered all the bases. Stupidity? Tick. Selfishness? Tick. Disrespect? Tick.
“But his contempt for the club should surprise nobody. Already a bit-part player for Neil Lennon, he’ll have been eyeing his next move for some time. His agent will be doing cartwheels now the full-back has burned his boats. Spare me the idea Celtic should sack him. Why would Peter Lawwell empty Bolingoli when he can get decent money for the 25-year-old?”
Clubs won’t be breaking Celtic’s door down
I can understand Provan’s point here. It does read at face value as an opportunity for Boli’s agent to get him another move and a nice little agent’s fee on the side. Any move made and his representative will make more money.
But clubs won’t exactly be lining up to take him. Already struggling at Parkhead, why would you take such an extraordinary punt on a player who totally disregarded Scotland’s safety?
You could say the player has learned his lesson, but that would be extremely naive. We’re talking about a 25-year-old adult here, not a 16-year-old who’s just signed his first big-money contract. This isn’t a lesson that should’ve needed to be taught.
Taking a punt on Boli now isn’t just about taking a financial risk. The risk doesn’t rely solely on whether he can turn his form around and do your team a turn. Unfortunately, it comes with question marks about his discipline.
So far, the offers have hardly come flooding in. Outside of the Amiens interest, speculation has been quiet. It’s also quite telling that Boli hasn’t been linked to a British club either.
He’s created a toxic environment for himself here, and a move abroad must be on the agenda.
For now, we wait, but Peter Lawwell is right to keep him around until an offer comes in.
Ripping up his contract is like ripping up the club’s own money. Celtic have to be patient with this and ensure no further damage is caused.
In other news, some Celtic fans have been reacting to the contest between Motherwell’s David Turnbull and Hibernian’s Martin Boyle from yesterday.
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